Emma: Seasoned Lightning Not Fazed By Big Stage
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- All the talk about this Tampa Bay Lightning team surrounds its youth.
Star forward Steven Stamkos is 25, center Tyler Johnson is 24, winger Nikita Kucherov is just 21, goaltender Ben Bishop is playing in his first postseason and coach Jon Cooper has never been here before. But none of that matters for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, when the Lightning's backs are against the wall in the form of a 3-2 deficit against the Blackhawks.
"We're a pretty hungry group," Cooper said Monday morning. "So I think right now you throw the experience out the window. It's going to come down to will."
That hunger is what resonates in the United Center's visiting dressing room, as the Lightning know what's at stake. The Stanley Cup will be in the building, and Tampa Bay isn't in position to claim it. With a win, the Blackhawks hoist the prize and end the season as champions. The Lightning go home into the long offseason.
But Tampa Bay has been in this situation before. It's 3-0 in elimination games this postseason and advanced to the Cup Final with a Game 7 win against New York at Madison Square Garden. To get past the first round, it had to withstand a Game 6 elimination game in Detroit and then win a Game 7 at Amalie Arena. Even more, this will be the Lightning's 26th game played this postseason, matching the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers for the most ever.
Through five games, neither side has taken a two-goal lead at any point. The evenness has been historic, a tough test that Tampa Bay has passed. No contest has appeared too big to handle.
This youthful Lightning group is well seasoned by now.
"Our young guys have a lot of maturity for their age, and I think they've shown that throughout the playoffs," Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn said. "The way they've stepped up in the big situations, the way we've played in elimination games for us, we don't look at it as a young group. We've been through a lot together."
Throughout this Cup Final, the Lightning players have seemed oblivious to their big stage. A built-in excuse existed if they bowed out early -- they just weren't ready for this moment. However, a team that's been through so much in one postseason doesn't lack experience anymore.
It's expected that Bishop will be in net, even despite the lower-body injury that appears to still persist. And Kucherov is "probable" to play, according to Cooper. If this holds true -- with Cooper's injury deception, it's no sure thing -- throw out the excuses for the Lightning in this Game 6.
Tampa Bay has persevered through plenty this postseason and stands ready for the task ahead. The United Center will be loud, the opponent will be tough and the stakes are higher than ever. But the Lightning have been here before.
Just ask Cooper, who knows the difficulty of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
"There's no question," said Cooper, "after going through this run, it's definitely the hardest trophy to win in sports."
But this postseason has made the Lightning more than prepared to win it.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.