This was, simply put, the Lightning’s best defensive game of the year. And it came in their biggest game of the year. So far, anyway.
Jon Cooper’s message to the team over the past two days was this: if the team focuses on playing good defense, they’re talented enough to still generate scoring chances. Part of what ailed the Lightning in the third period of Game Six is that, in their attempt to reduce a deficit by chasing offensive looks, they lost their defensive structure.
In various press conferences on Thursday and Friday, both Cooper and Lightning players talked about the importance of sticking with their structure, no matter the score.