Boy, was this an important win for the Lightning. It reduced their magic number to clinching a playoff spot to two points. The victory came on the heels of sub-par performances in their previous two games. And they won it with a strong overall effort, particularly in the deciding third period.
Before the game, Jon Cooper stated that, compared to the past two contests, he wanted to see more “hunger” for loose pucks from his team and more shots to the net. He got both in this game, especially during five-on-five play. It was a penalty-heavy game – the teams combined for 13 power play opportunities – so there was a lot of special teams play.