This is a Golden Age for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Beyond the obvious years of regular season dominance
and the glory of two straight Stanley Cup championships,
The Lightning have a true foil in their geographic rivals,
The Florida Panthers.
When hockey fans think of the glory years of the Edmonton Oilers
(Five 'ships in seven years)
They also remember the hell and carnage of
The Battle of Alberta,
Demarcated not only by the violence on the ice
But also the incredible level of competition
Between two absolutely excellent hockey teams.
The Lightning and Panthers and their fans have never truly
been able to enjoy that same level of rivalry
until at last, the Panthers become a top team.
The six-game battle in the first round of the 2021 playoffs was a taste,
And things are only going to get better.
The Panthers brought the battle to Tampa Bay last night,
Squeezing out a 4-1 win in a game that felt so incredibly close,
it felt from first puck drop that whoever scored first was going to win,
and that turned out to be the case.
This was not a great game for the Lightning.
Squandered power plays,
including a loooong five-on-three,
and fumbled breakouts and breakaways
gave them little to work with against
Joel Quinneville's hardworking crew.
The Cats scored first.
They won the game.
Brayden Point tied it up, and the Panthers
got it back even before the goal was announced.
The Bolts can take nothing for granted.
They won those championships through discipline and work.
They need to bring that again.
And remember: through four games
THEY STILL HAVE NOT HELD A LEAD IN A SINGLE GAME.
They are two-and-two on the year,
but oh, it feels like they have a long way to go.
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