John Romano: If you have complaints about Lightning stars, you're not alone

TAMPA, Fla. - Sometimes, the view from the ice is no different than from your couch.

Sometimes, it's not the analytics or freak bounces or behind-the-scenes secrets. Sometimes, the outcome is as simple as you think it is.

"I feel like that's (been) our excuse the last few years, hockey gods and bad bounces. (There were) bad bounces, for sure, but at the end of the day it's just like a broken record over and over," goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said Tuesday morning, about 36 hours after the Lightning were eliminated from the playoffs.

"We have to man-up here. Our big players should be our best players on the ice. Again, just a part of the journey. So, we'll have to work through it, and at some point it will turn our way, I hope."

Vasilevskiy wasn't the only player who brought up that theme, but he was the most pointed. And he did not shy away from the obvious.

"I thought we did lots of good things defensively during the regular season, during the (postseason), too. Just a little over two goals a game, I think that's good enough to win a series," he said. "So, I feel like defensively we did a pretty good job. Offensively? Again, it's not my job, so I can't speak to that."

He's not wrong. Six teams held opponents to 2.3 goals or less per game during the first round. Five of those teams advanced to the second round.

Guess who didn't?

Tampa Bay's offense was lacking for much of the series, just like it was last postseason. And the postseason before that.

I could be mistaken, but I believe that's what they call a trend.

The Lightning was fourth in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game in the regular season but scored only 2.14 in the postseason. You can say that scoring is more difficult in the playoffs, but a drop-off like that is inexcusable. And it's not an isolated incident with the Lightning.

Brandon Hagel led the team with six goals in the series and was a beast on both sides of the ice, but even he shouldered some of the blame for a less-than-urgent effort in Game 5 that put Tampa Bay in a hole.

"Yeah, listen, that comes down to the players. Starts with myself, starts with our best players," Hagel said. "Game 5, you have a chance to take a lead in the series and your best players are not your best players. That's an issue. There's no one to blame but ourselves. Our coaching staff gives us an incredible plan.

"But you go in Game 5, and your best players aren't your best players - starting with myself - to take a lead in the series. To give yourself a little more comfortability in probably one of the biggest games in the series, and that's what I do? And whoever else does? It's just unacceptable, and it sucks. I sit here and say I want to win so bad, but at the end of the day, in a game like that, you've got to show up. And I don't think our best players did that."

Harsh? Undoubtedly. Wrong? Not really.

Brayden Point, with one goal and no assists, was a disappointment. Nikita Kucherov, with one goal and a 3.2 shooting percentage, was a disappointment. There were times when Tampa Bay's fourth line - with rookie Dominic James, Gage Goncalves and Oliver Bjorkstrand - was its most effective group.

General manager Julien BriseBois was not as critical but acknowledged Tampa Bay's offense lacked necessary presence in front of the net.

"They did a better job than us generating goals off of shots through traffic, screens, tips, deflected shots," BriseBois said.

Could that be the issue with Tampa Bay's ongoing playoff woes? It certainly seems that way.

No one disputes the offensive talent on the roster. Kucherov is a hockey savant in terms of his vision and anticipation on the ice. Hagel and Jake Guentzel have averaged better than 30 goals a season in recent years. Point has averaged close to 40.

But much of their success has come from precision passing and speed in the regular season. When the playoffs begin, the checking gets intense and the goals aren't as pretty. Was it lucky bounces that accounted for Montreal's two goals in Game 7? To some degree. But those bounces were also generated by players who were not afraid to stand in front of the net, and from shots that deflected off walls and bodies.

The Lightning worked hard this season to become a tougher, harsher team to play against after being pushed around by the Panthers two years in a row. But hits and fights are not the only measure of a tough team. Sometimes, standing your ground next to the goaltender's crease is even more important than crashing people into the boards.

"We all have to do our jobs. Me? I have to make saves. Defense has to block shots, kill penalties. Offense, they should score goals," Vasilevskiy said. "We all have to do our jobs, but when one part of the team does the job - not extremely well, but good enough to win - and the other doesn't? That's how you end your season."

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 3:44 AM.