Tampa Bay Lightning D Jason Garrison: Team ‘Needs To Play A Full 60 From Now On’
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison says the team must play a full 60 minutes of hockey from now on in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been on quite a rollercoaster ride in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final. The Lightning kicked things off with a bang, capturing a victory in Game 1 deep in enemy territory as they embarked on their journey to defend their Eastern Conference Championship.
Unfortunately, Games 2 and 3 were not quite as successful as the Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans would have hoped for, losing Game 2 in Pittsburgh and Game 3 at home in the Amalie Arena. Just when some people began to believe the series was over for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bolts kicked off Game 3 like their namesake, with Ryan Callahan scoring a goal just 27 seconds into the game.
Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning are headed back to the Steel City to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. This game could prove to be a crucial turning point for the Lightning. If the Lightning emerge victoriously, they will regain the lead in the series as they head home to Tampa Bay. Suffer a defeat, and the Bolts will have their backs against the wall in Game 6.
On Sunday afternoon, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison spoke to the media about how their victory in Game 4 affected the Lightning’s plans for Game 5 and what the team needs to do in order to remain victorious. While Garrison was certainly pleased by his team’s performance in Game 4, he was rather realistic when he said it was just another game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning don’t have time to sit back and enjoy their victories or dwell on their defeats. The Lightning are embroiled in a tense battle for supremacy in the Eastern Conference and as soon as they have finished one game, they have to be ready to lace up their skates and do it all again in just a matter of nights. This is the time in the season where one false move can be the difference between victory and defeat.
One thing that particularly sparked our interest is the final thing Jason Garrison said before his interview ended. The veteran Lightning defenseman said the team would have to “play a full 60 from now on.” This is one of the few things we have repeatedly said all season long. Unfortunately, the team has lacked consistency for a good portion of the season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been faced with one of two scenarios all season long. The team either comes out like a rocket in the first period and absolutely rocks their opponent only to let off the gas in the second period and spend the remainder of the game chasing their tails, or they come out sluggish and have to spend the entire game chasing a victory that may never come.
Surprisingly enough, despite all of their disparities throughout the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have continued to find a way to win. It may have taken a little longer than last season, but the Lightning ultimately made their way into the postseason and once again seized home-ice advantage for themselves.
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The only thing is, as we mentioned before, the Tampa Bay Lightning are at that crucial point in the season where one single move can determine whether they emerge victoriously and continue on to play for the Stanley Cup, or they head home to Tampa Bay preparing to schedule their tee times for the remainder of the off-season. If the Lightning wants to avoid the latter, they are going to have to find their inner consistency.
We all know the Tampa Bay Lightning have what it takes to get the job done. The Lightning shut down the Penguins in each of their meetings in the regular season, they were able to bring home a victory in both the Pens house and in their own house. There is no situation in which the Lightning have not brought home at least one victory. All they need to do is focus on the task at hand and continue to play the way they did in the first 40 minutes of Game 4 and they will be just fine.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning will charge back into the Consol Energy Center on Sunday night to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. as usual. If you can’t make it to the Steel City for the game, you can catch the live broadcast on the NBC Sports Network. If you’d rather listen to Dave Mishkin make the call, just tune into 970WFLA Tampa Bay.