The Tampa Bay Lightning are keeping calm as they get set to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their first-round series of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday.
The Lightning, who opened the series with a 7-3 win in Game 1, were blown out 7-2 by the Maple Leafs on Thursday, knotting the series at a game each.
“It’s a seven-game series,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the loss. “It’s not a one-game one-and-done. We’ll be all right.”
Tampa Bay was without top defencemen Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak in the loss, but the Lightning aren’t using their absences as an excuse. Both were hurt in Game 1; Hedman played just 6:35 while Cernak was injured when he was hit by Michael Bunting, who will serve the second game of his three-game suspension Saturday.
“Everyone in this room knows how important they are to our back end,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “But no one’s feeling sorry for you if you’re missing guys, especially at this time of the year. That’s unfortunately part of the game.”
Special teams have been key in the series thus far. The Lightning scored four of their seven goals with the man-advantage in Game 1 while the Maple Leafs converted twice in Game 2. Overall, Tampa Bay has four goals on 11 opportunities (36.4 per cent) while Toronto is clicking at 40 per cent, with four goals on 10 opportunities.