Post-Game Talk: NHL Trade Deadline 2016 | Monday, Feb. 29 | 3:00 PM ET | 21:00 CET

[chasespace]

Traditionally the President's cup winner has not done all that well in the playoffs. Washington should not be overlooked but I think they also have won (or got a lot of momentum) from the power play. We have been there before and know the refs tend to swallow the whistle more in the playoffs.

I think the playoffs this year will be of a very high quality right from the first round.

I think there will be 2 ever important factors on which team makes it through

• Which goalie stays hot
• Which team stays healthy

I like how the bolts are really peaking, lets hope it not too soon!

The thing that scares me about Washington is while they do benefit greatly from the powerplay the moment you blink 5v5 they're going to run the puck down your throat. If you can play keep away with them and tire them out that would probably be the only way to beat them

 

[These Are The Days]

I understand they are a good team but we are too. I think people underestimate how good our team is. We have everything they have. Four lines capable of scoring. Stingy defense and good goaltending. And we have playoff experience of going deep.

The reason people underestimate our team is because of our "slow" start.

I think we kind of half assed it in the beginning to be honest. We were probably still a little banged up from playoffs. Mentally and physically. I think only now and for the rest of the season will you see our team give our best.

Also I think fans are very narrow minded on why our team is successful. We say it's only the triplets, or it's only the talent. We only give credit to the goal scorers or to the talent. When the team is not winning we lay into the coaches. I will tell you now that this team wins together and they lose together.

That team beat the Wings last year. It wasn't only Tyler Johnson. Cooper did an amazing job in the playoffs last year. Was he perfect? No. Our team did an amazing job in the playoffs last year. Were they perfect? No. But all played well enough to get us to the finals. We coached well enough to get us to the finals.

They have it in them to do it again. There is not one team that is that far superior to us that we can't beat. We have the players and the coaching to do it.

/end of rant

Credit to Cooper? BURN THE WITCH!

lol there's a lot I agree with you with. I'm not really sure what to call our start of the season. It was very frustrating to watch. Call it Cup hangover I supposed but that 3-0 start had me singing the blues when we barely scraped by Buffalo at home and we were getting outhustled in every game. But to your point we HAVE won together now since around New Years as a team because everyone has finally stepped up. You're dead on. These last two month's performance is the most complete display of a winning team than we ever saw last year. Killorn is back from the dead, Callahan these last half dozen games is playing arguably the best hockey of his Lightning career. To his credit, Stamkos has walked the walk the last few weeks. After the team meeting, after the "we will not trade him" announcement he's partying like it's 2011. Making better decisions with the puck, leading the rush, getting dirty in corners and scoring 3 or so "stand-close" goals since the streak started. If the Stamkos line can hold together and keep scoring like they have, then there is no reason for Cooper to not try the TKO line out again. If we get them going like last year then it's hard to bet against us.

Some will disagree but we rode the TKO line until the wheels fell off last year. Johnson broke his hand, Bishop pulled his groin, Kucherov got killed in game 4 and by that point it was all over but the crying. By game 6 in Chicago there was no stand-close, Callahan had taken until the ECF to score, Killorn would ride the hottest hot streaks and suffer the coldest cold streaks. Superman left the building and what was left of our team was a valiant effort by Valterri Filppula in the last few games.

I'm not gonna worry about DC unless we have to play them. We've got about 19 games left til the big dance and I think anywhere from 100-106 points in the standings will take the division crown. The important thing for the Lightning is, "points every night" if we're gonna lose, do it in OT or a shootout.

 

[Hoek]

 

[The Gongshow]

Ducks have been killing it lately. Really started playing well since a terrible start, much like Tampa