No one expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are a young group riding who rode the play of a hot goaltender down the stretch. Some of their big names will be experiencing the NHL post season for the first time. A young coach in his first season in the big leagues is running things behind the bench. All of this sounds familiar to anyone who has been following the Bolts, but we’re not talking about his year’s team. There are a number of parallels between this squad and the one that made it within one game of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals three years ago. The big difference now is that this incarnation of the team is better equipped for success in the long run.
The biggest difference between 2011 and 2014 is how young the Lightning are. Ten players with less than 100 career NHL games have suited up for them this year. Of those 10, seven have made regular appearances in games. Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson are getting a growing amount of attention due to their solid play and scoring ability. Radko Gudas brings a toughness that hasn’t been seen in a Tampa sweater in quite a few seasons. The Lightning youth won in the AHL and have a lot of familiarity with each other’s tendencies. What they lack big show experience, they make up for in hard work and willingness to battle against all odds.
When comparing the two goalies who have been instrumental in the Bolts’ most recent playoff runs, it’s a study in contrasts. Ben Bishop is young, 6’8” and just starting to come into prominence in the league. In 2011, Dwayne Roloson was picked up from the New York Islanders and was one of the oldest active players around. He caught fire in the final weeks of the season and was absolutely brilliant until the very end of the Eastern Conference Finals. Bishop is just starting towards his full potential. If he can stay healthy, he is poised to become the solid backstop Tampa has been hungry for since Nikolai Khabibulin’s departure.
Another weapon the Lightning carry into the post season is that they are one of the most successful teams this year and no one has talked about them all that much. Stamkos’ injuries made headlines and Ben Bishop’s play has been mentioned. This is a resilient team who has had a great 2013-14 campaign in a tough division without their biggest star. They have the potential to surprise a lot of people and make names for themselves.
It’s been a tough three years for the Lightning and their fans. The team failed to recapture the magic that got them to the conference finals and have been outside of the playoff picture since then. The Lightning are good. Sometimes they’re very good. When looking back to 2011, the biggest difference is this incarnation of the Bolts has been carefully nurtured and developed. It took time to get back to this point but they’re poised to enjoy continued success into the future. That might be the most exciting part of all.
(Dwayne Roloson Photo/Cheryl Adams) (All other photos/Susan Ferlita)
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