The season for the Tampa Bay Lightning once again came to a close in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the in-state rival Florida Panthers.
Despite cutting into Florida’s 2-0 series lead with a win in Game 3, the Lightning suffered another pair of consecutive losses, bringing an end to their season.
It brings an end to a campaign that began in unfamiliar territory after the departure of franchise forward Steven Stamkos.
Lightning Fans Were Angry After Their Season-Ending Loss
Social media was ablaze with angry Lightning fans, many of whom feel that their best of days were behind them.
One fan called for major changes, saying, “Significant changes are needed unless their content with being first round exits every season.”
This fan seemed to recognize Tampa’s brief dynasty was coming to a close, saying, “Pathetic effort from TB for the last few years of play-off hockey yall set my standards and expectations for play-off hockey winning soundly back to back years. This team is a shell of a once great dynasty.”
One fan demanded the removal of assistant coach Jeff Blashill, saying, “Get rid of Blashill. Bring LaLonde back as the assistant coach. Fire the rest of our coaching staff. Keep Cooper. Add some Defensemen in the off-season. Bringing back Blashill will leave us 0-4.”
Another fan had a demand of general manager Julien BriseBois, saying, “BriseBois needs to stop doing nothing in the off-season and bring in some younger talent.”
This fan ripped most of the team and coaching staff, saying, “3 straight postseasons where we piss down our legs at the first sign of adversity. Our assistant coaches SUCK and so does 70 percent of our roster.”
Finally, this fan had a demand for Coach Jon Cooper, saying, “Cooper better fire all his assistants. JBB better fix the bottom 6 and the defense. I don’t want to see Raddysh, Lilleberg, and Perbix ever again on this team.”
Lightning Coach Jon Cooper Said Florida Is A “Sensational Team”
Lightning Coach Jon Cooper tipped his cap to the Panthers after the season-ending loss, calling them a “sensational” team.
They have an exceptional team,” Cooper said. “Not just an average team — an exceptional team.
“There’s only a few teams in the last little while that really know how to (win in the playoffs consistently),” he continued. “We were one of them, and now they’re one of them. It’s unfortunate we’ve had to run into them. Whether this series they swept us, or it was 4-1 or 4-2 … to me, that’s kind of irrelevant. They beat us.”
The Panthers advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, while the Lightning head into an uncertain summer.
