Revamped Penguins ready for speedy Lightning
PITTSBURGH — On the calendar, the gap between the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning met and tonight’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is less than three months.
Within the lifespan of a season, it seems a lot longer.
When the Lightning blew past the Penguins 4-2 on Feb. 20 — a victory that earned Tampa Bay a sweep of its three-game season series with Pittsburgh — Steven Stamkos was still scoring goals, Matt Murray was still the Penguins’ third option in net and the Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan’s midseason overhaul remained very much a work in progress.
Not anymore. Stamkos remains out indefinitely while dealing with a blood clot while Murray has become a revelation in near lockstep with the Penguins’ evolution from enigmatic underachiever to Stanley Cup favourite. No wonder the Penguins couldn’t help but laugh when asked if they could remember what happened on that sloppy Saturday in mid-winter when the Lightning built a quick three-goal lead and cruised.
“I couldn’t even tell you,” Pittsburgh forward Phil Kessel said. “I don’t even remember when we played them last.”
Probably best to just block it out and press forward anyway at a time of year where short-term memory loss is an asset.
The Penguins wrapped up a 12-day highwire act against rival Washington on Tuesday night when Nick Bonino fired home the winner in overtime of Game 6. The cathartic celebration sent Pittsburgh to the conference finals for the fourth time since 2008. Less than 72 hours later, they face the only team that’s been more dominant in the post-season.
The Lightning raced through the first two rounds of the playoffs, dropping one game each to Detroit and the New York Islanders. Remarkable, considering they’ve been without Stamkos and defenceman Anton Stralman, still recovering from a fractured left leg.
Stamkos is practising but the five-time all-star hasn’t been cleared for contact. Stralman appears to be on the verge of returning, though coach Jon Cooper is in no hurry to announce his lineup, saying Thursday “it’s just pointless to talk about whether they’re going to play or not.”