5 burning questions as the Lightning head to the NHL playoffs

TAMPA — The Lightning took a while to take advantage of their 5-0 victory against the Red Wings in Thursday night’s regular season finale at Amalie Arena.

They then turned their attention to what awaits them, a rematch with the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs starting Tuesday in Toronto.

“Everything will be fine,” coach Jon Cooper said. “This team knows how to play the game. We are going to face a very good opponent. These are two good teams who will play. We know each other quite well. At the end of the day, we just have to play, and we have a group of players in (our locker room).

As the Lightning prepare for the start of the playoffs, here are five burning questions for them:

What version of the Lightning will we see?

The Lightning struggled for consistency during the regular season, but they don’t have to be perfect against the Maple Leafs. They just have to be resilient. In the last three playoff series, they have rarely been beaten twice in a row, and that will be important. Keep in mind that last season, Tampa Bay lost the first game to Toronto 5-0 and never led the series until the end. The Lightning lost a one-goal game in Game 5 to lose 3-2 in the series, then scored a Brayden Point goal in overtime of Game 6 in Tampa before winning a closely contested Game 7. The Lightning knows it: the more they can sow doubt in the minds of the Maple Leafs, the better off they will be. Because the Maple Leafs’ biggest obstacle is overcoming their past playoff failures.

Can the Lightning overcome the Leafs’ home advantage?

The Lightning haven’t been a good road team this season, going 18-22-1 away from Amalie Arena. They will therefore try to be physical from the first faceoff in Toronto, taking away space from Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. They’ll want to make life uncomfortable for the Maple Leafs’ scoring stars, and the intensity of the playoffs usually allows for hitting hard, creating tighter spaces that give talented players less room to work. But Tampa Bay will have to walk the fine line between relying on its opponent and committing penalties, as its shooting on goal hasn’t been as consistent as in the past. Even at their best on the penalty kill, the Lightning won’t want to continue to put the Maple Leafs’ power play on the ice.

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Will rest help Vasilevskiy return to playoff form?

No player is more essential to the Lightning’s playoff success than goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. He remains the biggest game changer in the postseason. With five games left in the regular season, Cooper said Vasilevskiy had to play until the end, but the goaltender ended up getting three of the final four games. Rest before the playoffs can be a weapon, especially since Vasilevskiy has played in 71 playoff games over the past three seasons. The end of Vasilevskiy’s regular season was uneven. He has allowed 10 goals in his last two starts, both losses, after limiting opponents to just one in his previous three. A lot of that was due to the defense playing in front of him. In the past, Vasilevskiy and his teammates have managed to flip the switch early in the playoffs.

Where will the additional rating come from?

History tells us that the Lightning stars will appear in the playoffs. Nikita Kucherov, Point and Steven Stamkos made a huge impact. But that may be where the loss of Ondrej Palat, who has 27 goals in the last three playoff series, will hit the Lightning hardest. Who will intervene in these moments when the big three are confined? This is an opportunity made for Brandon Hagel, who took a big step forward as a scorer with 30 goals in the regular season. But others will have to emerge from severe droughts. Nick Paul hasn’t scored in 26 games and has just one point in his last 18 games. Corey Perry has no goals and only one point in his last 25 games. Ross Colton, who scored huge goals in the playoffs, has only one goal in his last 18 games.

Which player will be an X factor?

Mikhail Sergachev has gradually become an elite defender this season. He knew he would have an expanded role with the departure of Ryan McDonagh in the offseason, and he handled the added responsibility well. Sergachev and Victor Hedman should have big moments in the playoffs. Sergachev is now the starting power play quarterback and his offensive game continues to grow. He set career highs in goals (10) and assists (54) in the regular season and led the team in average ice time (23:49). But his playoff run will likely be judged on what he does on the defensive end. He assumed McDonagh’s role as the team’s top shot blocker and finished second among Lightning defensemen in hits. He will play an important role in making the Maple Leafs’ top offensive stars uncomfortable with physical play.

Contact Eduardo A. Encina at [email protected]. Follow @EddieintheYard.

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