“We were definitely sloppy with the puck on our stick,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Turnovers were an all-time high for us in the season, but in the end, we got outworked, if we’ve really looking at the big picture here, and there’s a team that simply came in and worked harder than us, and that’s the disappointing thing for sure.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a team to watch because of their salary cap situation at the upcoming NHL trade deadline.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Bolts GM Julien BriseBois aren't afraid of mortgaging their future and setting the tone in the Atlantic Division arms race.