COLUMBUS, OHIO—Sullen and speechless, the Tampa Bay Lightning had little explanation for how they followed up a glorious regular season by getting bounced from the Stanley Cup playoffs with record-setting haste. Tampa Bay tied the NHL record for wins with 62 and amassed 128 points, fourth in NHL history. With Columbus clinging to a 4-3 lead in the third period, Tampa Bay had wrested the momentum from the Blue Jackets but still couldn’t solve Bobrovsky. “They were the better team,” said Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, who also didn’t score until Game 4. “I’m so happy for them because I think they really can see if you’re a unit you can get some things accomplished,” said Columbus coach John Tortorella, who led Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup championship in 2004.

Source: thestar April 17, 2019 02:32 UTC