![]() Thank you for being there the entire way. This isn't the ending we imagined and certainly not the one we wanted. We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. ![]() And I'm basing that on a tweet from the Tampa Bay Lightning Twitter feed, which said this. So when push came to shove and adversity hit in the series, the Lightning had a bad six days compared to a great 82 games in the regular season, and then they were swept.ĬORNISH: Now, your assessment is far more kind, I think, than that of the fan base. The Columbus Blue Jackets had to win seven of their last eight games just to get into the playoffs. They've been on cruise control for months. They clinched a playoff spot in early March. But the bigger picture is this for the Lightning. Everything that they did so well in the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets did it better in this series. WYSHYNSKI: (Laughter) Well, I think Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh put it best. They were blowing away their opponents.ĬORNISH: So it's safe to say any sane hockey analyst (laughter) basically would have said that the Lightning was going to win the series, right? So what happened? So every time they stepped on the ice, they weren't just winning. Thirty of their 62 victories were by three goals or more. This was a team that was doing historic things in the regular season. That tied the all-time NHL record for wins in a season. Just how good were the Lightning before this collapse? Welcome to the program.ĬORNISH: Help us understand. Greg Wyshynski is senior NHL writer for ESPN. Columbus won its first playoff series ever with a sweep that still has experts like my next guest wondering what happened. Their first-round matchup was supposed to be a walkover. Now, contrast that with the Columbus Blue Jackets, an unlikely bunch. No team in NHL history had ever won more games in the regular season. In fact, there was a time - like, just over a week ago - that you could say they were one of the best teams ever. The Lightning were by far the best team in the National Hockey League. On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Lightning wish they'd never heard of the Blue Jackets. If you've never heard of the Columbus Blue Jackets, you're definitely not alone. Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs.All-time regular season series: Florida leads 20-13-1, 7 ties.This season - Florida leads 1-0: Panthers 4, Sharks 3 (Nov.Radio: WQAM 560-AM WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach) WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys) SiriusXM.TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+.PANTHERS ON DECK SAN JOSE SHARKS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS It is only a matter of when they are able to figure out the logistics of holding an outdoor event in Florida. With both teams trending towards being competitive for the foreseeable future, the NHL wants to capitalize on that. Tampa Bay and Florida each met in the playoffs in the last two seasons - with the Lightning winning both times - and Matthew Tkachuk’s comments about wanting to take down Tampa during his introductory press conference this summer only added fuel to the fire. I know the league is trying and they are looking at a lot of locations so I know it’s possible.” “I think especially now with the rivalry we built with the Lightning, I think two Florida teams figuring this out would be wonderful. “I’m not the judge of that, but I think anything is possible,” Panthers president Matt Caldwell said when asked about an outdoor game - perhaps at Marlins Park in Little Havana. Those are roadblocks the NHL is seemingly willing to find ways around to showcase one of its most trending rivalries. When asked about the potential of an outdoor game in Florida, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that he was exploring the possibility of making it happen. The NHL has also held outdoor games in Los Angeles and Nevada over the years. The NHL held its most recent Winter Classic at Fenway Park with the Carolina Hurricanes playing host to the Washington Capitals at the NC State football stadium next weekend. ![]() Tampa, as in South Florida, has temperatures in the 80s until the weekend when it becomes a touch more seasonable. The situation obviously remains fluid and the NHL is considering a lot of factors - including weather - into the scheduling of the event, per Weekes. Per NHL Insider Kevin Weekes, the NHL is interested in holding an outdoor game in the Sunshine State - and want the Florida Panthers to be included.Īccording to Weekes (a former goalie for the Panthers) the game would be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa with the Lightning playing host perhaps as early as next season. ![]()
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