This occurred in 1983, shortly after the Islanders’ 4-0 sweep of Edmonton, which gave the Dynasty its fourth straight Cup. Later, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe, and their teammates would talk about seeing their opponents lying out on ice bags in their locker room after performing the victory lap and learning about the sacrifice it takes to win a title.
These Rangers aren’t the same as the Islanders or Oilers from 1983. However, these Lightning, who are already halfway to the Dynasty’s world-record 19 consecutive playoff series triumphs, are a good role model for any team looking to win a championship.
They may be able to defeat you, but they can also teach you something.
It would be beneficial for the Rangers to identify this on the fly before Game 5 on Thursday, following Tampa Bay’s back-to-back victory in Games 3 and 4 at home, which tied the conference finals at two games apiece. Although the sky did not fall in on the Blueshirts, it appears like Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Ryan McDonagh, and Andrei Vasilevskiy have regained their A-games and the Lightning have found their rhythm as the series progresses.
The Blueshirts, who are going through this for the first time, should not see this as an insult. Within a series, experience can be applied. It doesn’t have to wait till the next season or even the next year.
