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Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Hopes Come To An End

By Tasha St. Pierre

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s journey has come to an end as they fall to the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fought long and hard to get to where they find themselves right now, but the battle has come to an unfortunate end as the Tampa Bay Lightning fell 2-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning knew when they came into last night’s encounter that everything was on the line. The team would have to fight tooth and nail to come out on top not only against one of the top 2 teams in the National Hockey League this season, but in front of one of the most hostile crowds in the NHL. This is no easy feat to accomplish, but if there is any team who could withstand the pressure, it is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The game started out with a heck of a bang. You could tell that both teams were ready to do whatever it took to come out on top. Unfortunately for the Lightning, the Blackhawks were able to hold the Lightning to a paltry 4 shots on goal in the first period.

While we have always been a proponent of quality over quantity, there comes a point and time when you have to shoot the puck or risk leaving in defeat. At the same time, while the Chicago Blackhawks may have registered 13 shots on goal in the first period, the Tampa Bay Lightning defense was able to neutralize them and the score would remain at 0 through the first 20 minutes of play.

When the puck dropped and the second period began, we would see a lot of the same play that we did in the first period. These two teams were so evenly matched throughout the entire encounter that it almost seemed as if neither team was ever going to find the back of the net. Well…until the final moments of the second period.

It wasn’t until 17:13 in the second period when someone would finally be able to break the ice and get themselves on the score sheet. Unfortunately, that team was not the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane would play the puck into the zone as defenseman Duncan Keith sailed into the zone and in front of the net. Kane would send the puck off to Keith who would take a shot on goal that was turned away by Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop.

Unfortunately, with no assistance on the side from Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr, Bishop wasn’t able to get a handle on the rebound and the puck would sail into the back of the net.

RELATED: Injuries, Late Mistakes Doom Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5

Fortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning would not allow the Blackhawks scoring first to shake their determination. The team would continue to fight for the puck and make their way into the Blackhawks’ zone, but for some reason they just could not seem to pierce the defenses of Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford.

It wasn’t until late in the third period that we would see another puck make its way into the back of the net. As most of you know by now, it was not off the stick of a Lightning player, but that of Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.

Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad would take possession of the puck in the Blackhawks zone and make his way into the Lightning’s defensive zone, being furiously pursued by Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov would be able to neutralize Saad, who was forced to hand the puck off to Blackhawks forward Brad Richards.

Richards, knowing that he did not have a shot on goal, fired the puck off to Patrick Kane – who was basically uncovered by the Lightning defense – and the rest is, as you would say, history.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would fight with everything they had in an effort to get back on top and send this series back to the Amalie Arena for Game 7, but it was simply not meant to be. When the final buzzer would sound, the Chicago Blackhawks would be crowned the Stanley Cup Champions.

The one thing that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb throughout the course of the game is that the Tampa Bay Lightning did not seem to be playing up to the standards that they set forth for themselves throughout the course of the season. The Lightning has some tremendous speed on the ice, and this did not seem to factor in the slightest bit in Game 6. It almost seemed as if they were dragging.

There is a very good chance that this has a lot to do with some of the injuries that the team had been dealing with, but in the post season there is no time for could’ve, should’ve, would’ve.

While we are fairly positive that all of you are just as disappointed as we are, the fact of the matter is that the Tampa Bay Lightning had an incredible season. The media and fans of the other 39 teams in the NHL doubted the “team from the South” all season long and swore that we would never make it to the post season, let alone the Stanley Cup Finals.

This is an incredibly young team. In fact, the average age of the players on the team is 26 years old. This tells us that the Tampa Bay Lightning has many successful years ahead of them. There is no doubt in my mind that when the puck drops on the 2015-2016 season that our Bolts are going to be ready to go and will show us the same spark and dedication that they did this season.

When all is said and done, Lord Stanley’s Cup may have to wait another year to come back to the City of Tampa and work on his tan, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the Eastern Conference Champions. As you are all well aware, achieving that goal was no easy task and is certainly worthy of respect.

Think about it this way, when October comes and we are all filing into the Amalie Arena for the very first time next season, we will have something that we have not witnessed for quite some time now; we will have a new banner to hang in our rafters for the Eastern Conference Championship.

At the end of the day, the Tampa Bay Lightning put on a hell of a performance this season, and while there is almost always something that can be improved on from one season to another, this is not the last time that the other teams in the NHL will have to come against us in the post season. We will be back next season, and you can bet your bottom dollar that our Boys in Blue will be ready to fight.

Just as they will always be the Tampa Bay Lightning, we will always Be The Thunder. Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning on their incredible season and proving to everyone in the league that we are in fact a hockey town. We will be here for you loud and proud when the puck drops next season.

Also, congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup win. While we wish that things would have ended differently, this has been a hell of a series and we couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

What was your favorite moment from the Stanley Cup Finals? Who do you think really stood out during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest for the Stanley Cup? Who do you think needs to improve heading into next season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Next: Injuries, Late Mistakes Doom Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5

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