Game 3 in the rear-view mirror for the playoff-experienced Bolts

Tampa Bay's 6-5 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the teams' First Round playoff series stung for sure.
The Lightning were defeated for the first time this season when holding a lead going into the third period. The Bolts were ahead 5-3 entering the final period Thursday but gave up an early goal on the power play then surrendered the tying goal with 3:07 remaining. Coming into Game 3, Tampa Bay was 28-0-0 this season when ahead after two periods, including a 2-0 record through the first two games of the First Round.

The Lightning set a franchise record for scoring in the second period by netting five goals, erasing the 2-0 deficit they faced entering the period to take control of the contest, control they promptly gave up once they allowed the power-play goal 1:45 into the third.
From there, the Lightning tried to protect their one-goal lead to the finish line. They didn't have much of the puck and didn't generate much of anything offensively, the Bolts registering just six shots in the third, head coach Jon Cooper saying after the game his team thought they could defend their way out of the contest.
They nearly did too, holding on all the way until slightly more than three minutes remained when Gustav Forsling got the puck in the high slot with time, space and an open lane to shoot and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game 5-5.
The Bolts weren't able to take advantage of a power play to start overtime, and Florida netted the game-winner minutes later, Ryan Lomberg scoring on a breakaway for the 6-5 Panthers win and their first win in the series.
The Lightning were 3:07 away from taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the series with a chance to sweep on home ice Saturday. Now, Game 4 is setting up to be maybe the most pivotal contest in the series.

The brutal manner in which Tampa Bay lost Game 3 might break a lesser team.
But not the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning, who've ridden the ups and downs and waves of emotions that inevitably come with every playoff series.
When they took the ice for Friday's practice at AMALIE Arena ahead of Saturday's Game 4 (12:30 p.m. puck drop), the Bolts had already put the previous night's loss in the rear-view mirror.
Which is easier to do when you still own a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"We did some video today, we looked at it to see what we could do better and now it's in the past," said Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, who ended a 27-game goal drought going back into March to get the Bolts on the board in Game 3. "I think at this time of year, you have to have a short memory. Last night happened, that's how it went and we've just got to refocus and be ready for the next game."
The Lightning knew they weren't going to sweep Florida. The Panthers are too good of a team. Maybe that thought crossed their mind in the third period when they held the lead and had a chance to go up 3-0 in the series. But the way the Panthers valiantly fought back, their desperation level matching their effort, reinforced how evenly played this series has been and will continue to be.
"It's how you respond to this," Victor Hedman said. "You're not going to win 16 games and not lose any. It's a process. They're a great team. They pushed hard in the third. We're not happy with the way we played the third period, but you're going to get ups and downs throughout a playoff series and it's how you respond as a group. We look forward to the next game and getting back on track."
The Lightning have been in this position before, forced to respond to a setback, and were particularly effective last season in their run to the franchise's second Stanley Cup.

After a five overtime win in Game 1 of the opening round versus Columbus, the Bolts dropped Game 2 by a 3-1 count. That could have been a big blow, effectively playing eight periods of hockey and only ending up in a 1-1 split.
But they came back and played a solid game in Game 3 to win and would win two more in a row to beat the Blue Jackets in five.
They lost the opening game of a Second Round series versus Boston before winning four straight to move on.
With a chance to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Lightning were defeated in double overtime by the New York Islanders. Two nights later, they secured their place in the Final with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 6.
In all, the Lightning never lost back-to-back games during their 2020 run, going 7-0 in games following a defeat.
"I'm not worried when it comes to our group about responding after a loss like this," Hedman reiterated. "Things like this are going to happen. It's about how you respond, and I'm not worried about us going back into Saturday and having a good game."

The Lightning certainly have the edge in experience over the Panthers. Tampa Bay has been to the playoffs four-straight seasons and seven of the last eight seasons. They've been to the Eastern Conference Final four times and the Stanley Cup Final twice over that stretch. Florida hasn't won a playoff series since 1996 when they unexpectedly reached the Stanley Cup Final.
The Lightning will lean on that experience to see them through this rough patch. But it's not the end all, be all determinant for playoff success.
"You just don't throw experience on the ice and experience wins the game for you," Cooper said. "You still have to play the game. It's something, you can kind of dig into and look back upon and say, 'Okay, I've been through this situation before. How did I deal with it?' With this team, they've made us proud so many times and they've pulled through so many times and you want to have a squad that's been through this before. But, for me, if I'm sitting here saying you've got a 2-1 lead, I would have taken it. Can't really sit here and say, 'Oh well, this is how we got here.' We've got a two-games-to-one lead and we've had 2-1 leads before in playoff series and known how to deal with them. And so moving forward here, it's a different opponent but we know how to deal with these, and that's what we have to do moving forward."
GAME 5 INFO: Following Tampa Bay's Game 3 loss, the National Hockey League announced Game 5 in Sunrise, which is now assured of happening, will have an 8 p.m. puck drop at BB&T Center. Game 5 will air locally on Bally Sports Sun and stream live on the Bally Sports app.