Bolts have a history of bouncing back well from playoff losses

Tampa Bay lost for the first time in the Second Round when Carolina's Jordan Staal got a tip on Sebastian Aho's power-play shot a little less than six minutes into overtime of Game 3 to pull out a 3-2 Hurricanes win and cut the Lightning lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.
One thing the Lightning have perfected over the last two postseasons, however, is not letting one loss turn into two.

Tampa Bay hasn't lost back-to-back games in the playoffs since getting swept by Columbus in the First Round of the 2019 Playoffs. The Lightning are 9-0 in their last nine games following a loss, including round robin qualifiers from last postseason. The Bolts went 7-0 in the 2020 Playoffs in games after a loss on their way to lifting the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
So far in the 2021 Playoffs, the Lightning are 2-0 coming off a loss.
In the First Round versus Florida, the Lightning suffered their first defeat in Game 3 6-5 in overtime before rebounding for a resounding 6-2 win to take command of the series. When Florida answered in Sunrise with a 4-1 victory in Game 5 to stay alive in the series, the Lightning put together maybe their best effort of the postseason so far, shutting out the Panthers 4-0 in Game 6 at AMALIE Arena behind a 29-save performance from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, his second career playoff shutout, both coming in clinching games.
Vasilevskiy also stopped all 22 shots he faced in a 2-0 Tampa Bay win Game 6 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final versus Dallas, that Cup-clinching victory following a loss in Game 5.
For a Tampa Bay team with a number of championship traits, its ability to put losses behind it and bounce back with a better effort and a win in the next game is maybe its most impressive.
"I think we just stick to our structure," said Lightning center Anthony Cirelli when asked why his team plays so well in games after a loss. "I think we know the group we have in here. We're going to come out ready to play. No one likes losing. I know we'll be in front of our home fans, and they'll be loud. We're excited and ready to go."
Tampa Bay liked a lot of aspects of its play in Game 3. Everything, really, except the result.
The Lightning had more puck possession than they had in the opening two games of the series. They played more in the offensive zone. They produced more shots, scoring chances and Grade-A opportunities.
But where the Lightning got that one bounce that put them over the top in the firts two games, Carolina was the one that cashed in during Game 3 to get back in the series.
The Lightning feel if they continue to play the way they did in Game 3, however, that bounce will go their way next time.
"We worked really hard last night and didn't get the result, so our group takes a lot of pride in, whenever there's an opportunity to win a game, we want to try and find a way to win that game," Bolts defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "We did like a lot of parts of our game, but also, when we go back and review the tape, we always look at things we can improve on, whether it's five-on-five, penalty kill, power play. There are areas there we can improve and be better and be a difference in the game, might help us win the game. As much as we always stay positive with our approach and what we liked about our game, we've got a veteran group that understands we can take criticism and know that as the series goes on, those mistakes or miscues or plays you want back, those could be the difference going forward. So, we look at those things too and feel we could be better and hopefully put all the pieces back together. But, ultimately, we keep working hard and keep trusting our structure out there, it gives us a good chance to win."
One of those areas where the Lightning can improve against Carolina is in the face-off circle. The Bolts lost their first eight face-offs in Game 3 and went 23-of-53 overall in the contest, a win percentage of 43 percent.
For the series, the Lightning are winning just 46.4 of their face-off draws.
Carolina's Jordan Staal has been a handful in the dot at 60.9 percent, best among all skaters in the series. Staal also takes the most face-offs for the Hurricanes with 64 of the Canes' 168 total face-offs, or 38.1 percent of their draws.
The Lightning spent part of Friday's practice working on ways to win more draws against Staal and the rest of the Hurricanes.
"It does add up as far as possession time, but especially D-zone, offensive zone face-offs that are so important just to create offense or get the puck out of your zone," Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern said about the importance of winning face-offs. "It's something we talk about which each individual the way they take face-offs against (Staal), but it is something we discuss."
SAVARD GETTING CLOSER: Lightning defenseman David Savard has yet to play in the Second Round after starting all six games versus Florida in the First Round and recording 23 hits, third most on the Bolts for the series.
Savard is day-to-day with an upper-body injury but has practiced each of the last three sessions. He was on the ice for Game 2 morning skate in Raleigh. He didn't practice with the game group during Game 3 morning skate in Tampa but skated earlier with the scratches. He was also one of 11 Bolts on the ice for Friday's optional practice ahead of Saturday's Game 4 (puck drop scheduled for 4 p.m. at AMALIE Arena).
Before Game 2, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said Savard would return at some point during the series. Asked on Friday if he's gotten encouraging news as to his status going forward, Cooper responded, "He's getting closer."
Savard came to the Lightning prior to the trade deadline from Columbus via Detroit, a deal where Tampa Bay gave up a first- and fourth-round selection in the 2021 Draft and a third-round pick in 2022.