TAMPA, Fla. — After the Bolts brought out the broom to perform a clean sweep against the Florida Panthers, what's next for the Tampa Bay Lightning?
For starters, it's a step closer to winning the Stanley Cup for a third consecutive time.
Throughout the playoffs, Lightning fans have set their eyes on claiming the grand prize for a third straight season, and head coach Jon Cooper noticed the determination from his side to reach that stage as if, ironically, they never won a Stanley Cup.
"These guys [Lightning players], to their credit, are playing the game right now almost like they have not won a Stanley Cup and as if they're chasing it for the first time," he said.
The possibility of having another boat parade in Downtown Tampa may come down to the Bolts' star players, such as team captain Steven Stamkos and goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky, to keep on performing at the highest level for their team as they've done so far in the postseason.
Vasilevksyi has only conceded one goal or less in each of his last five starts, and on Monday he stopped 49 shots from the Florida Panthers to make it his most ever saves in a shutout performance.
"They [The Florida Panthers] obviously threw a lot of pucks on net and there he was, Vasy, like he always is in these big games," Stamkos said in Game 4's post-game press conference. "Vasy gave us chances to hang around in the game. We talked about how we didn't want to waste this great performance by Vasy and throw it away."
Luckily for Stamkos, the team defeated Florida 2-0 to, indeed, not waste a good display from their goaltender.
Vasilevskiy now holds the record for most series-clinching shutouts in league history. During post-game interviews, he also downplayed his performance and credited the team as a whole for the Round 2 sweep.
"The whole series has been constantly blocked shots, sacrifices from the team breaking bones to stop the pucks," he said. "It's just such a great effort by everybody on our team. It's obviously not just me, I'm just trying to do my job as best as I can. In all four games, I thought we played fearlessly."
Stamkos may have not been the most influential in Game 4 against the Panthers, but he has recorded four goals and four assists in this year's playoffs.
The team captain has also presented leadership within the team, and said it's important for each player to be ready to perform at top level during this time of the season.
"The beauty about our team is that everyone contributes," he said. "That's what you need this time of year. We talk about it all the time but you just never know when it's going to be your moment and the guys on this group have certainly not shied away from that and it's been fun to be part of."
One of those players who stepped up, due to the injury of Bradley Point, was Nick Paul.
The Canadian left-winger scored two goals in a crucial Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs to see his team move on to the next round.
The clean sweep against Florida means more days of no hockey, and as boring as that may seem for fans, Stamkos described it as a positive for the team.
"At this time of the year some of the guys are going through a lot and sacrificing a lot and any type of break is welcome," Stamkos said. "Obviously we got some guys who are more banged up than others but this rest will certainly help guys get a little bit more healthy."
Stamkos could be alluding to his teammate, Bradley Point, who is another key player for the Lightning.
He suffered an injury in Game 7 during the first round of the playoffs, and his return status has been described as "day-to-day" by Cooper. Point also did not play in any of the four games against Florida.
The Bolts will play the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams finished in the top two of the Metropolitan division and their series is currently tied two-all.
The Lightning will be all too familiar with facing the Rangers in the postseason as they defeated New York in five games in the second round of the 2021 NHL Playoffs.
However, no team is the same every season, so whoever Tampa Bay plays against will provide a challenge for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
One thing the Bolts can highly expect is a very large and noisy crowd at AMALIE Arena as Monday marked the 280th-consecutive sold-out game in Downtown Tampa.
The Lightning have a favorable 4W-1L record in their home arena in this year's postseason and the team will be looking to take advantage of using their fans as a boost to collect more wins.
The confirmed time and date for the Eastern Conference Finals will be determined when the Carolina-New York series concludes.