CHICAGO — The Tampa Bay Lightning just needed one bounce, one break, one lucky deflection to keep pace with the Chicago Blackhawks.
For too much of the closest Stanley Cup Final ever played, they just couldn't get it — and they fell short of a championship by an agonizingly slim margin.
The Lightning's epic playoff run ended Monday night with a 2-0 loss in Game 6 at the United Center. Tampa Bay ended the series on the first three-game losing streak of its marvelous season, dropping those three games by a combined four goals.
The final shutout underlined the only real problem for Tampa Bay in this postseason: The NHL's highest-scoring team in the regular season managed just 10 goals in the six-game final.
The Lightning played 26 postseason games, matching three other teams for the longest playoff run in NHL history. By the final periods, they were understandably exhausted — and yet they still pushed the champion Blackhawks to the limit.
The Lightning's frustration was epitomized by captain Steven Stamkos, who couldn't score a goal in the final despite coming agonizingly close in Game 6.
Stamkos hit the crossbar in the first period, missing a goal by perhaps an inch after the puck pinged downward, but he had his most painful moment early in the second period when a mix-up left him with a clean breakaway on Crawford. Stamkos slowed to a stop and got Crawford down to the ice, but couldn't flip a shot over his outstretched pad, perhaps overthinking a goal-scorer's dream moment.
While the Blackhawks celebrated behind their net, the Lightning slumped on the bench and stretched disconsolately against their sticks. After the postgame handshake line, the Lightning went reluctantly to the dressing room, with Stamkos hugging his teammates on the way out.
Tampa Bay had only one Stanley Cup winner on its roster against the champion-studded Blackhawks, yet the young Lighting held their own. They got remarkable performances from Ben Bishop, who stopped 30 shots on balky legs in Game 6 after getting hurt back a week ago, slick-skating defenseman Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov, who returned from an apparently serious injury to play in Game 6.
Back home at Amalie Arena, Lightning fans packed the building to capacity for a game-watching party, roaring with cheers comparable to game nights. Tampa has cemented its reputation as a model Sun Belt hockey market with its latest playoff run as the culmination of a revitalization effort under owner Jeff Vinik.