Through run to Cup Final, Bolts have improved as series have gone on

After taking Thursday to rest and recover, the Tampa Bay Lightning were back on the ice on Friday afternoon as they prepare for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday.

The lines and defense pairings remained the same for the Bolts, who hope those combinations can even the series at one apiece tomorrow night.
Throughout the postseason, the Lightning have got better as their series have gone on. Tampa Bay only squared off with the Avalanche twice in the regular season, so Game 1 presented a good opportunity to pick up on some of Colorado's traits and tendencies.
"After Game 1, you get a better read, a better understanding of the opponent," said Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. "It's one thing to see on video, but it's one thing to be in the game too. A few tweaks here and there, but nothing major.
"We know what they're doing, but obviously seeing their tendencies more up close, that's what we were working on in video today and on the ice."

Historically, the Bolts have been excellent at making adjustments. After falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final, Tampa Bay continued to get better and better, primarily at playing better defense and shutting down the Rangers' high-flying attack. That's what the Lightning will have to do again in this series against a high-octane Colorado offense that can come at you in waves.
"We talk about things within our system, positioning and little plays in our zone, and the importance of closing it out fast and not allowing the opposition to get that cycle game going," Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh explained. "It kind of all stems off that defensive play in the D-zone and ultimately it starts 200 feet away from your net with that forechecking game, staying above guys.
"We talk about it all the time, positioning and defensively, what's going to give us the best chance to win."
With good defensive zone play comes some tough responsibility. Blocking shots, playing physical, and sacrificing your body are all things that have to be done for success in the postseason. The Lightning have shown a willingness to play that way time and time again. It's the selfless attitude of the group that has earned them a trip to a third-straight Stanley Cup Final.
"I don't think anyone cares who they're playing with or where they're playing or how many minutes they're playing," said Bolts center Anthony Cirelli. "I think everyone's just going out there and trying to do their job and trying to do anything they can to help the team win."
When the Lightning play a strong defensive game, they're a very difficult team to beat. One giant reason for that is the man between the pipes, Andrei Vasilevskiy. After fighting through Tampa Bay's smothering defense to generate a scoring chance, the opposition is met with arguably the best goaltender on the planet.
Vasilevskiy has been huge in postseason games following a loss throughout his career. They'll need him to be big in Game 2 against a Colorado team that's averaging over four goals a game in these playoffs.
Just as the Lightning have to make adjustments for the Avalanche now that they've seen them in Game 1, Vasilevskiy has to make adjustments as well. There may not be anyone better than him at making those subtle changes to his game.
"Once he's got a feel for the team, and it's usually only taken him a game, he's been outstanding," said Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper. "Vasy just dials himself in. He had a little bit of break. Now he's got a feel for the way they play, the speed they play with, where they shoot from, all those things.
"That's what great goalies do. They can figure out teams, too, just like coaches try to figure teams out. Goalies can do the exact same thing.
"I think that's why you see an elite, elite goalie get better as the series goes on, because he educates himself just as much as coaches trying to educate the team."

While the Bolts know they have a reliable Vasilevskiy behind them, they also know that they need to play better in front of him. Over the years, Vasilevskiy has stolen games for the Lightning on multiple occasions. The confidence level that the team has in him is sky-high, but if Tampa Bay can play just a little bit stronger in front of him, their chances of winning obviously grow larger.
"Vasy, his mental strength is out of this world," Hedman explained. "Whether it's bouncing back from tough games or losses, we're very confident when we have him back there.
"The record's not a fluke, but we can't rely on that either. We've just got to go out there and execute our game plan a little bit better than we did in Game 1 and help Vasy a little bit more.
"Let him see the pucks. You know he's going to make those stops. It helps having the best guy in the world back there."
Game 2 is a huge test for the Lightning. As everyone knows, the goal is to win one game on the road during the two-game stretch in a playoff series. Do that tomorrow and it's a best-of-five series heading home to Tampa. With two days in between games, the Bolts have had a lot of time to look over the tape and make the necessary adjustments. Now, they just have to go out and execute tomorrow night.
"Obviously, coming off a loss, I think it's important to turn the page and I think that's what made us successful in the past, is to put stuff like that behind us," said Hedman. "Today was a new day. We came in for practice and want to feel good about tomorrow.
"We're super excited. [We've had] two days to reflect on Game 1 and then come out and be prepared for the next one."