Detractors will bemoan how poor the Tampa Bay Lightning played Wednesday night and how the Montreal Canadiens deserved to win. They will stomp their feet, scrunch their faces, and stew in “what ifs” after the Lightning stole Game 2 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens. The irony from the previous three rounds appears lost on those naysayers.
Here’s the issue; deserving means nothing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. More than anything else, results are the driving force in the postseason. Every coaching staff preaches process, and during the regular season a team’s process (if it’s a good one) will win out more times than not.