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With all of their offensive firepower, the Lightning don’t get enough credit for how good of a team they are defensively.
Just as their defenders don’t get enough credit for how much they contribute to the offense.
Head coach Jon Cooper has said it on numerous occasions: he views his team as a five-man unit no matter what zone it happens to be playing in.
Defenders starting breakouts, joining the rush, shooting from the point, making plays at the blue line to keep pucks in the offensive zone or switching places with forwards down low to confuse opponents are all part of the Lightning’s offensive game.
Just as forwards breaking up rushes in the neutral zone, backchecking deep into the defensive zone, filling passing lanes and blocking shots are an important part of the defense’s success.
You get buy-in from all five players no matter where they happen to be on the ice as the Lightning have the past two postseasons, and you get a team that is within six wins of its second straight Stanley Cup.
We saw much of that — particularly defensively — in the 2-1 win over the Islanders Thursday in Game 3 that gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinal series. They will need a similar effort tonight to extend their advantage.
Follow our live updates, starting at 8 p.m., as the Bolts hope to win a third straight game over the Isles and return to Tampa with a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Setting the scene
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