Lightning flunked their Stanley Cup test in Game 6

TAMPA – Game 6 was a test for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they failed it. 

They had a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 11 years and eliminate the New York Rangers, avoiding a grand finale in a building where the Rangers have never lost a Game 7. They earned this chance by playing three near-perfect periods in Game 5, and then two more effective periods in Game 6.

But the third period was putrid. It was embarrassing. Fans left early and chants of “Let’s Go Rangers!” echoed in the upper deck.

It was one of only a handful of times in this postseason where the Lightning looked outclassed by a veteran opponent, their young players competing to see who could make the most bad decisions and ill-fated plays in the span of 20 minutes.

The Rangers won 7-3. Five of those goals were scored in the third period.

“That third period,” lamented goalie Ben Bishop, “you’ve like a redo of that third period.”

Thanks, Captain Understatement.

Bishop was pulled after the Rangers’ fifth goal, on their 26th shot. It was the third game in the series in which he surrendered five goals to the Rangers, an inexcusable allowance in a championship series. But as much as Bishop struggled, the team in front of him struggled more in what could be the final period of hockey played in the arena this season.

“They started beating us back to the net. We started to turn the puck over. When you stop thinking about your net, that’s what can happened against a top team in the league,” said Bishop, too often hung out to dry by his defense. 

Was it a case of a young team not being able to close the deal?

“I think so. It was kind of similar to that Game 4 against Montreal,” said Bishop.

Bishop lasted 47:14 in Game 6. He lasted just 25:08 in Game 4 of the Canadiens semifinal series, giving up three goals on 14 shots when the Lightning had a chance to close out the Habs and failed; then losing Game 5 at Bell Centre before closing out the series in Game 6 in Tampa.

Combined with their Game 7 win over the Detroit Red Wings, that was supposed to be the education the Lightning needed to excel in a game like Tuesday’s against the Rangers. It was supposed to be all the study time they’d need to pass this test.

Instead, they killed it on the multiple choice, but flunked the essay portion for the real points are found.

“We’ve got a young group. They’ve played some unreal hockey here to get us this far,” said coach Jon Cooper, “and we showed if we’re not going to play the proper way, a really, really good hockey team is going to beat you, and that’s what they did. It’s a lesson learned.”

That lesson? That the game isn’t 40 minutes long.

“It’s a 60-minute game. If you’re down one goal going into the third you can’t just go out and think you’re going to tie it up at once, right away,” said defenseman Victor Hedman, whose team trailed 2-1 entering the last 20 minutes.

And against the Rangers, you can’t go into the third period down a goal … period.

They moved to 43-0-1 this season when leading after the first 40 minutes. Under coach Alain Vigneault, the Rangers are 81-3-3 when leading into the third.

More numbers: The Rangers moved to 15-4 in elimination games since the 2012 postseason, playing their best when they’re staring into the abyss.

More numbers: The Rangers are 7-0 in Game 7s played at Madison Square Garden. Overall, they’ve won six straight Game 7s.

“Everyone knows [how good] they are, but every game’s different. You can’t think about the past,” said Bishop.

Ryan Callahan played a role in building up those marks for New York during his time with the Rangers. Now on the other side of that history, he says those records are meaningless.

“You don’t think about it too much. It’s history. They had one Game 7 against [the Capitals] this year, and they won. So they’re comfortable in that situation. That’s the only thing,” he said.

Here’s the case the Lightning are making for their own comfort, in light of this Game 6 disaster:

1. That disaster is too harsh, and that the team has played five good periods in their last six periods; it’s just that the six period was a giant pile of suck. “I think in a matter of seven or eight minutes there in that third period, we gave up more scoring chances and turned over more pucks, more than we did in all of Game 5 combined, the 60-minute game,” said Cooper.

2. That they’ve played quite well at Madison Square Garden. They didn’t lose to the Ranger there in the regular season. They’ve outscored them 9-4 in winning there twice in the series. “For whatever reason, we’re better on the road than we are at home the last couple of times,” said center Steven Stamkos

3. That despite the Rangers having thumped them in Game 6, and despite every single trend going in New York’s direction heading into a Game 7, that both teams are under the same Sword of Damocles heading into Friday night.

“There’s pressure on both teams,” said Stamkos. “I don’t care what kind of spin you put on it. You throw everything out the window.” 

That might as well include the Game 6 third-period game tape.

“How do I think we’re going to respond?” said Cooper, pausing as if perturbed. “We’re going to respond the same way we have every time our backs are against the wall. You’ve watched it happen all year. You know how they’ll come out.” 

We know how they went out in Game 6: With a whimper, with a trip to the Cup Final on the line.

And Friday night, it could be ‘class dismissed’ for this young Lightning team. 

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