TAMPA, Fla. — With their second-round sweep of the Panthers, the Lightning earned themselves some time off before the start of the Eastern Conference final, which likely will open Monday or Wednesday in Raleigh or New York.
The Lightning closed out the Panthers on Monday and have used the time off to heal from physical series against Florida and Toronto. But when you’re playing as well as Tampa Bay has been, having won six straight, returning from the brink of elimination against the Leafs to sweeping the league’s top team in the Panthers, you want to keep going.
“Our group needed (rest) regardless of what happens,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We needed it, we needed to heal. We’ve gone through a couple of wars here in our series, so it’s pivotal for us to have this break now.
