Lightning have a chance to close out series early against Columbus - Tampa Bay Times

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The Lightning have a chance to do something Wednesday that they haven’t done in more than two years — 836 days, to be exact. They can close out a playoff series.

Tampa Bay leads Columbus 3-1 going into Game 5 of their first-round series at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (noon, Fox Sports Sun and NBCSN), having seized control with consecutive wins Saturday and Monday.

“I mean anytime that you can finish out a series, it’s a big thing,” center Tyler Johnson said. “It’s always the toughest one to get. You never want to give a team life, especially a team like Columbus.”

Related: A line of "gnats" made the difference for the Lightning in Game 4

The Lightning know how hard it is to get that final win. The Blue Jackets do, too. Last year, Tampa Bay came alive in Game 4, facing a sweep, even taking their first lead since Game 1. Columbus ended up winning 7-3 but that score is misleading given the three empty-net goals in the final two minutes.

“The key is closing a team out,” coach Jon Cooper said, “The early part is just a luxury.”

The Lightning had a chance to close out the 2018 Eastern Conference final in six games, but got shut out by Washington 3-0, then lost the series.

In the conference semifinals that season, the Lightning finished off Boston with a 3-1 win (including an empty-netter) in Game 5. That’s the last time they won a playoff series.

“We’re only three-quarters of the way there,” Cooper said. “You just have to match the desperation of the other team. You know when their season’s in the balance, how they’re going to come out.”

He said the key is not thinking too far ahead. The Lightning have to put themselves in the mindset of the opponent.

Johnson recalled the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup final in 2015 and the 26 of 28 potential games they played.

“By the time the finals hit, we were pretty banged up and tired from it,” he said. “It’s a little bit better to play fewer games as possible.”

Related: Sign up to get weekly Lightning updates from beat writer Diana C. Nearhos straight to your inbox

That might be even more true this year, when the Lightning and Blue Jackets started the series with eight periods. But Cooper also raised the question of how the Lightning would spend the time — possibly a week — before the next round, if they win Wednesday.

Johnson has been through just about all of the playoff iterations possible with the Lightning: Cup final, the conference final twice, swept in the first round and a no-show.

He said he has been on some “pretty solid teams in the past,” but the depth sticks out on this one, as does the physicality.

“A big thing, too, is we play a little bit more physical game than what we have in years past,” he said. “That’s something that our team has always had a little bit in the past, but not as much as this year. I think that definitely is a difference.”

Specifically, Johnson pointed the line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. That trio is an example of both. Johnson commented “those guys are always hitting out there,” and they also scored both of the team’s goals in Game 4.

Related: You already appreciate Yanni Gourde's play, but do you know why he's the Lightning's most loveable character?

They aren’t even through the first series, but the Lightning — like the rest of the teams — are feeling the strain of the bubble. Asked about Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask’s departure from Toronto (to be with family), defenseman Ryan McDonagh commented the team needs to be focused on the end goal.

“We know our team’s come a long way this whole season,” he said. “We set ourselves up in the round robin there. Just mentally, trying to stay as focused as we can.”

This year’s playoffs definitely feel different. Cooper misses sharing the experience, the culmination of a season’s worth of effort, with friends and family.

McDonagh called it a “constant battle” to be separated from their families, but said when everyone is pulling in the same direction and spreading positive vibes, it helps keep the energy up. Then when they find a way to win, “it all feels worthwhile.”

Closing out the first-round series should amplify that feeling.

Contact Diana C. Nearhos at dnearhos@tampabay.com. Follow @dianacnearhos.

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