TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are learning the painful lesson that playing the Pittsburgh Penguins is like being in a race in which the Penguins are running downhill on the smoothest of surfaces and the Lightning are running up a rocky hill in muddy boots.
This reality was brought home in stunning fashion Wednesday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, where the Lightning had been a tidy 5-1 this spring but were dominated by the Penguins by a 4-2 count that flattered the home side.
The win gives the Penguins a 2-1 series lead, and more sobering for the Lightning, it marks the second straight game in which they have been the second-best team on the ice by a wide margin.