The Tampa Lightning made it look easy, didn't they?
The Bolts' used every tool in their box to defeat the Detroit Red Wings and send them to the lake cottage for the summer.
Playing without their captain Steve Stamkos (blood clot), #2 defenseman Anton Stralman (leg), and energy forward JT Brown, the Bolts blocked out all outside distractions and completed their tasks at hand.
The Lightning defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to one and are now the first team to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
So, how did the Lightning win without the contributions of the best offensive player in Stamkos and Victor Hedman's D partner on the top pair?
The Triplets Line Version 2.0 supplied the offense and Ben Bishop provided the high level goaltending.
The trio of Alex Killorn-Tyler Johnson-Nikita Kucherov combined for 10 goal sand 10 assists in the five game rout of the Red Wings.
Kucherov leads the NHL playoff goal scoring race with 5 tallies. He also had 3 assists. Kucherov scorched the Red Wings with 3 PPGs.
Johnson scored 2 goal sand added 3 assists.
Killorn scored 3 goals, including 2 GWGs, and added 2 assists. Killorn's goal with 1:43 remaining in regulation gave the Bolts the 1-0 win in the series clinching game against Detroit.
Bishop allowed only 8 goals against in 298:13 TOI and made 152 saves and 160 shots faced against the Wings.
Bishop authored the 1-0 shutout in the knockout game. He finished the Detroit series wtih a .950 save % and 1.61 GAA.
Credit also goes to Jonathon Drouin whose four assists in five games (3 on PP in Game 4) sparked the Tampa offense.
The fervor surrounding Stamkos' departure from Tampa is growing by the day. The Bolts players proved that they can win without their leading scorer. Killorn, Johnson, Kucherov, and Drouin took their respective offensive games to new levels in the wake of the the Stamkos long term injury. It will not surprise me at all if Bolts GM Steve Yzerman is strongly considering Stamkos' free agent rights right about now. Stamkos is reported searching for a 7-8 year contract in the $9.5 to $10 million AAV per season range. The Bolts are not willing to pay their captain that type of money. They will prefer to invest that salary cap space into their young core players, pending free agents (see Kyle Okposo), and trade targets (see Taylor Hall).
As the Bolts continue to win playoff games, the Stamkos chatter will only continue to amplify and intensify.
Fans in Buffalo and Detroit wish to get their hockey mitts on Stamkos as #91 is the exact player that the Sabres and Red Wings are lacking right now.
Detroit's loss is a double negative because Pavel Datsyuk has likely played his final game in a Red Wings uniform.
In an interview conducted before the playoffs began, Datsyuk said that he is leaning towards skating home to his mother Russia to play in his hometown while spending valuable time with his family. A formal announcement is forthcoming by Datsyuk.
Datsyuk appears to have hung up his sweaty hockey geAR for the last time.
It's all over. What a magical ride he took us on!
Datsyuk wasn't ready to comment on his future after is Wings were punted from the playoffs by the Lightning On Thursday night.
The Magic Man hinted at his retirement in his final postgame media scrum.
"I had a really good time, a really fun time," Datsyuk told the team's website.
"It is special when I play in front of 20,000 people. It's an unbelievable feeling. It's awesome. I'm happy [to wear] the Red Wings' logo."
"I really love the fans and I'm happy to [see them] in any city we play in. They always support us. I always appreciated them. I'm happy we have great fans."
Datsyuk registered 113 points in 156 playoffs games but failed to record a point in the five-game series against the Lightning. It was the first time that Datsyuk failed to register a point in the playoffs since 2002-2003
"We had many chances but if you don't score many goals, you won't win games. We didn't score more than two goals [in the series] so it is not easy to win if you don't score two ... if you don't score, you don't win."
In his 14-year-career, Datsyuk led the Red Wings in scoring nine times and most importantly, helped Detroit make the playoffs every season.
Detroit has made the playoffs for 25 straight seasons - the longest active streak in North American professional sports.
Datsyuk amassed 918 points in 953 career regular-season games. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner as well as three-time Selke Trophy winner and four-time Lady Byng recipient.
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Here is the full transcript of Datsyuk's final presser:
What are your emotions right now?
"Really still in the game. Still can’t believe we lost. It’s really emotional now."
You guys played well enough to win. How disheartening is it to lose that way?
"We play much better than last game. We have many chances but you never win game if you not score any goals. So we need to score, we need to find a way, I needed to find a way to score any goals. Probably more go to the net and make dirty plays."
What’s next for you?
"You have good questions. I’m not thinking about two days or how many days. I need a little bit cool down and emotion got out and then I start thinking about it more."
What was going through your mind when the game was over?
"In the end I was thinking we still needed more time, maybe another period. But then I start to recognize that it’s game over and we lost the series."
Can you believe this is it for you if you decide to go back?
"Don’t put me in a scary question. I put this question out many times and I don’t start thinking this way. It’s not happy thinking about these questions."
What’s it meant to you to be a Red Wing?
"I’m happy, I’m honored, I’m proud to play every time with 20,000 people around. Every city we play we have our fans. It’s something special. Real emotional."
How tough has this year been?
"It’s definitely changed. It’s hard to score now. But it’s teams that score more than three goals, they win a few games more. What we did, out early, it’s kind of a bouncy season for me. Started slowly, then picked up and kind of went back again."
Was there one chance you had that you kick yourself over?
"Yeah, I have chances but not really. Maybe a little bit confidence. I not really shoot in any area. When I have chances, it not go through. Bishop he had a good series against us. He played well."
Have you spent more time with the team the last few days in case it is your last year?
"No, we just more focused on the game. Especially when we come home, more focused on Game 3 and Game 4. Same routine. Just be prepared to play the game. We played well today but it’s not going our way."
Is your health a factor in your decision?
"I’m pretty healthy, thanks my God. Everything’s fine. Only if my hands can score."
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On a personal note, I'm thrilled that Datsyuk will be leaving the NHL to return home to play in his hometown which will allow him to be near his wife and daughter.
He has proven all that he possibly could in his NHL. He is a first ballot Hall Of Famer and will be remembered by this observer as one of the best ever players in NHL history. Were I the Commissioner of the NHL, I would create a new award and call it the Datsyuk Award. One player annually would receive the prestgious prize for his total domination of all three zones of the ice. To me, Datsyuk is "Mr. 200 By 85 ". He is the best at what he does and he deserves to be appreciated long after his NHL playing days have ended.
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