Two days after clinching a playoff birth in Carolina, the defending Champs trekked a little further south for their final regular season matchup at Amalie Arena, a rink that’s played host for some fond memories over the past calendar year. With the Champs going toe to toe with the best regular season team the League has seen in a decade, and writing the follow-up chapter to last week’s memorable tilt between the two, this one had all the makings for a barn burner.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay is a team with very little left to play for in the regular season, and that was in evidence for much of tonight.