TAMPA — "It’s what makes best-of-seven series fun," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said after his team's 2-1 overtime loss to Carolina. Despite the loss, Cooper said he's happy with the way his team is following their game plan.
"The playoffs… are a big damn rollercoaster," Cooper laughed. "You can’t get too excited when you’re high. You can’t get to low when it’s low. You gotta keep trusting your process."
Lightning center Brayden Point scored a power-play goal but missed a chance to win the game in overtime.
"Obviously there are things we can clean up, things you can watch," he said. "Hopefully we do better next game. For the most part I like out game, I like our compete."
The Lightning lead the NHL with 11 postseason power-play goals. They hope they can continue that trend and keep doing the things that got them to this point.
"I think we know the group we have in here. We’re gonna come out ready to play," center Anthony Cirelli said after Friday's practice. "Obviously, no one likes losing. I know we’ll be in front of our home fans, and it’ll be loud. I think we’re excited and ready to go."
Tampa Bay leads the series 2-1. Game four is set for tomorrow at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 P.M.
