Years ago, when I was writing a book about winning the Stanley Cup, goaltending legend Patrick Roy told me that after he won his first Stanley Cup all he could think about was how badly he wanted to win a second.

The high of winning a Cup was so exhilarating, so addictive that the desire to have another taste is immediate.

Imagine how the Tampa Bay Lightning feel as they prepare to make a run at winning their third Stanley Cup in 21 months.

They won the 2020 Stanley Cup on Sept. 28. Less than nine months later, the Lightning won the 2021 Stanley Cup. Nine months later, the Lightning are now getting ready to attempt to be the first team in 39 years to win three in a row.

The only problem: the Lightning aren’t showing the same commanding presence that they exhibited when they won the back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. They have been sputtering.

The Lightning’s level of play has been so uneven over the past month that Sunday’s 5-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres seems like an important win.

Before that triumph, the Lightning had lost four in a row and 10 of their last 16.

Not what we expect to see from the Lightning with spring in the air.

It is noteworthy that the Tampa Bay win against the Sabres also marked Ryan McDonagh’s return from injury. The Lightning are certainly more well-constructed defensively when McDonagh is healthy.

But there has been more going on here than McDonagh’s injury. The Eastern Conference has improved this season. Atlantic Division rivals, the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, are among those improved teams. The Panthers have added impact forward Claude Giroux and shutdown defenseman Ben Chiarot. The acquisition of Mark Giordano is helping the Maple Leafs.

Seven Lightning players who had their name engraved on the Stanley Cup last year are not with Lightning this season. That has prompted a season-long discussion about the erosion of the Tampa Bay Lightning depth.

But the Lightning have added Corey Perry who has given the team a fresh layer of crustiness and scoring. They’ve added Brandon Hagel. Other teams also tried to acquire him from Chicago.

More importantly, the Lightning still have the core group of players who led the way to the first two Stanley Cups.

One theory is that the Lightning are simply bored by the regular-season. They need the postseason to get their engines revving. Seeding? Division title? That’s not enough to inspire players who already have two Stanley Cup rings.

Another thought, suggested by Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos in a postseason interview, is this late season bumpy ride may be what his team needs. A wake-up call. A call to arms. A reminder about how difficult it is to maintain the consistency required for an extended playoff run.

These are players who understand what is required to win a Stanley Cup. But understanding and replicating the 2020 and 2021 efforts in this season's ultra-competitive environment, seems like a fresh challenge.

Maybe that's exactly what the Lightning need.

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