The Tampa Bay Lightning had things going their way for the large majority of the regular season.
But as the schedule reached the deep stretch, something is quite wrong with Jon Cooper's previously formidable team. The Lightning may be on the verge of coming up short in their battle for first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
The Lightning lost 4-1 at home to the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators. As a result, they failed to gain any ground on the Boston Bruins, who were defeated 4-3 in overtime at Philadelphia.
The Bruins own a two-point lead over the Lightning, and they have one game in hand over Tampa Bay.