TAMPA | After two consecutive coronations, you would think that the Lightning players are less hungry than their rivals from the other 15 teams in the race. Especially since these titles were acquired at the end of a particular season where the summer periods were short-lived.
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For Jon Cooper, the trick is to find a way to renew the desire and bring the level of motivation back to the level of previous years.
“The first year, we tried to chase our demons following the sweep suffered against Columbus. Last year, we adopted the theme of the last day of school, since the team was going to be somewhat dismantled, ”recalled the head coach of the Lightning.
“This time, it’s the possibility of being considered a dynasty that ignites us. Can our name be associated with that of the big teams? “, he continued.
In the vast history of the NHL, only five teams have managed to win at least three consecutive Stanley Cups. You have to go back to the Islanders of the early 1980s, champions four times (from 1980 to 1983) to witness a similar sequence.
The Oilers, champions four times in five years, in 1984 to 1988, can also be considered. We speak in low words of about thirty years.
“If there aren’t many double champions, it’s because once they’ve won a title, the teams relax a bit. Our group has found a way to stick together and fight for a cause every time. That’s why I give him so much credit. »
It growls in Toronto
Of course, Cooper is well aware that the past is no guarantee of the future. Moreover, on the side of the Maple Leafs, this is precisely what we want to prove.
Sunday night’s thaw raised suspicions about this team.
“We have learned from the experiences we have gone through over the past few years,” Morgan Rielly told the Toronto Sun. I believe we have grown, but until the results prove it, it will be hard to argue with those who claim otherwise. »
So there’s some form of added pressure on the shoulders of the Leafs players, who are trying to get this franchise past the first round for the first time since 2004.
The longest-serving player in the Toronto camp, Rielly has had five playoff rejections (including the loss in the 2020 qualifying round) and four first-round eliminations.
The day after this setback, Sheldon Keefe gave his players training leave. In front of the journalists present at the team’s training complex, he tried to reduce the questioning.
“This season, each time we faced a challenge, we rose to it in a good way. This series in itself, as well as our opponent, was a challenge and we had a superb first game, hammered Keefe. We have always responded and because of that we believe in ourselves. »
Faith may take its toll if the Lightning win tonight in Game 5 of this series.