SUNRISE, Fla. — Entering this playoff series against the Panthers, Lightning fans were probably more concerned about the defense than offense.
But that is not what happened in Game 1.
Both the Lightning and Panthers played a tight, forechecking game, giving very little to their opponent. Tampa Bay has a lot to be proud about from a defensive standpoint. The Panthers scored only one 5-on-5 goal. Florida went 1-for-3 on the power play and scored an empty-netter.
For Jon Cooper, if his team gives up two or less goals, he feels confident he will get the win.
Unfortunately in Game 1, his group struggled to generate many scoring opportunities. According to Natural Stat Trick, Tampa Bay was only expected to score 2.61 goals, in all situations. For comparison, the Panthers were at 4.15 expected goals. The Bolts tallied 11 high-danger chances while the Panthers had 19.
Tampa Bay's challenge entering Game 2 is playing more aggressively, while also not compromising the great defensive structure established in Game 1.
"We got time [Monday] to look at things, go back and try and find solutions," Brandon Hagel said. "It's a good hockey team over there. Come Game 2, I'm sure we'll be ready."
Hagel was the only Bolt to score during 5-on-5 play.
The biggest issue for Jon Cooper was how his team started the contest, which was a 12:30 p.m. puck drop. Tampa Bay did not register its first shot until nearly 16 minutes into the matchup, with Florida jumping out to a 1-0 lead.
"They're at home. It's Game 1. Crowd is pumped up. They had all this energy. Give them tons of credit, they went to a game plan and we abandoned ours before it even started," Cooper said. "The margin of error is so much smaller now. So when you turn the game into a 45-minute game instead of a 60-minute game, you're giving us a little bit less of a chance to do anything."
The Tampa Bay Lightning were given a boost before the puck drop with Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening suiting up in the contest. Besides Mikhail Sergachev, who could possibly return next series if they advance, the Lightning are as healthy as they've been in quite some time.
As Steven Stamkos has always said in the past, momentum is a fickle thing. Last year, Tampa Bay blew Toronto out of its building in Game 1 just to lose four of the next five matchups. The Lightning are 12-9 all-time after losing Game 1, so there is little reason to panic in the room.
"Have you seen us play in the playoffs for the last decade?" Cooper asked a reporter. "These boys have weathered all the frustration they possibly can and we've seen it in every different way. Florida is an exceptional team...and it's our job to fight through it."
A key for Game 2 is to get Nikita Kucherov some more space on the ice. He only logged one shot on goal and was a non-factor until the final 10 seconds of the game when he dished an assist to Steven Stamkos down, 3-1. If the Bolts are going to beat the Panthers, Tampa Bay's top line has to be more present.
Also, it will be interesting to see if the teams continue to bang bodies as well as they did on Sunday. Tampa Bay tallied 55 hits and Florida had 54 hits. It was a physical game.
Puck drops from Sunrise at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The Lightning will then return home on Thursday for Game 3 inside AMALIE Arena.