TAMPA — Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did his best Han Solo impersonation on Sunday — he doesn’t want to know the standings.
“I don’t even want to hear where we are,’’ Cooper said, much like the “Star Wars” character who doesn’t want to know the odds. “I haven’t looked at the standings in at least 10 days, so I couldn’t tell you where we are, I just know that we have been winning more games than we are losing and we have to keep doing that.’’
Despite the inconsistencies and injuries Tampa Bay endured during the season’s first 35 games, Saturday’s victory against Columbus pulled the Lightning to within four points of the Atlantic Division lead entering Sunday.