First, that the Blue Jackets had been a different team since a Western Canadian road trip that ended on March 24. They were a completely adequate team that was turned into the largest of underdogs by virtue of the Lightning's juggernaut of a regular season, and the Vegas sportsbooks' projections for the series.īut where the punditry failed was in identifying two trends. They were 12th in expected goals percentage (50.87), which was better than six playoff teams. They were 12th in goals per game (3.12) and 11th in goals-against per game (2.82), outpacing several playoff teams in each category. This was the 13th-best team in the NHL based on points, with 98, a higher total than three Western Conference playoff teams - the Dallas Stars (93), Vegas Golden Knights (93) and Colorado Avalanche (90). They were out-coached | 'It wasn't our time'īefore opening up the corpse of the Lightning to determine the internal causes of their demise, let's exalt the Columbus Blue Jackets with the praise they deserve. Jump ahead: Game 1 mistake | Injuries (and stupidity) Here's the anatomy of the Lightning's loss to Columbus: ![]() What caused this historic playoff collapse, marking the first time in history that the league's top team was swept in the first round in a seven-game series? Strengths that were keys to us winning in the regular season didn't get it done in this series. "We hurt ourselves in a lot of different fashions. "It's tough to pinpoint one thing," McDonagh said. How could a team that seemed destined for a Stanley Cup see it swept aside? How could a group that the Vegas sportsbooks pegged as a minus-400 favorite before the series cash out in four games? How could this happen? How could a Lightning team that had amassed 128 points and 62 victories - earning a share of the all-time NHL record for wins - lose in four swift games to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the last wild card in the Eastern Conference and a team that finished 30 points behind them? You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪnatomy of a playoff collapse: What happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning?ĬOLUMBUS - Ryan McDonagh sat in the silent Tampa Bay Lightning dressing room, where his teammates spent a few moments of quiet, frustrated contemplation before leaving for the offseason.
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