Getty Image / Mike Carlson
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with higher expectations than any team in the NHL. My Bolts had a historic season, tying the NHL record for most team wins in a season at 62 and Nikita Kucherov set the new record for most points scored by a Russian-born player. Kuch and Tampa finished the season with 128-points. They finished the season with an unbelieve +103 goal differential.
After the season they had, anything less than the Cup will be considered a failure for the Lightning and they hoped to get off to a hot start last night against the Wild Card-winning Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their 7-game Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Things looked FUCKING PERFECT after the first period. I was sitting on the couch in my adidas Kucherov jersey, enjoying the 3-0 lead after the Bolts came out skating unbelievably fast and scoring goals with ease. Then the wheels came off.
Columbus came back for the 2nd period and scored a goal while holding Tampa scoreless. Then in the 3rd period, they put up 3 goals and won the game 4-3. Tampa hadn’t blown a 3-0 lead all season. In fact, they were almost .500 on the season when losing by 2 goals going into the third period. They’re a team that’s won a TON of games coming from behind but they hadn’t blown a lead like that in over a year.
As you can imagine, the hockey world was completely shocked by Tampa’s collapse. The reactions and memes practically wrote themselves. As a Tampa Bay fan, I was stunned. My only silver lining is I have tickets to Game 5 in Tampa so I’ll at least be able to attend that game next Friday and *hopefully* see my Bolts close out the series in 5 but I’m not going to take anything for granted after watching them blow a 3-0 lead last night.
Here are the best reactions from last night’s epic collapse by the Lightning, beginning with the lead up to the collapse:
The Lightining score the first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs short-handed. Suprise suprise. They're ready ladies and gentlemen.
— Conor Sherman (@ShermanConor) April 10, 2019
The first period has come to a close, and not soon enough for the #CBJ. It's a 3-0 Lightning lead after one. Jackets spending little-to-zero time in the offensive zone. Bob looks shaky, but he's not getting much help.
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) April 10, 2019
Aaaaand here’s where things began to turn:
.@NickFoligno gets his @BlueJacketsNHL on the board. pic.twitter.com/TircWBr8Fu
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019
It's a one-goal game thanks to @dsavy58. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/QFhLzWWOmh
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019
We're all tied up at 3 on a shorty from @joshanderson_77! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/4H2E6ka8Jg
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019
The building was silent at this point:
What 3-goal deficit? @seth_jones3 puts the @BlueJacketsNHL up 4-3. pic.twitter.com/kf3jIKM97w
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 11, 2019
I don’t recall if I was throwing things but I know I was drinking bourbon at this point in the night to self soothe:
.@TBLightning pic.twitter.com/nQ2ShfF0ZC
— Andrew Berkshire (@AndrewBerkshire) April 11, 2019
Tired: The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Wired: The Tampa Bay Lightning blew a 3-0 lead in game 1 of the first round of the 2019 playoffs. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 11, 2019
Hearing word that the Blue Jackets made a shrewd dietary adjustment during the first intermission, will work to confirm pic.twitter.com/BpkbKnWavw
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) April 11, 2019
John Tortorella crawling through the vents to slip Xanax into Tampa’s water bottles in the intermission
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 11, 2019
The story of win probability for #CBJ–#GoBolts Game One courtesy of @MoneyPuckdotcom pic.twitter.com/R7IyICIMR2
— Alison (@AlisonL) April 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/RaminaShlah/status/1116158465477472256
#CBJvsTBL pic.twitter.com/tUh5mAkHkv
— Garrett Green (@garrettgreen) April 11, 2019
Right in the feels:
#GoBolts are the first Presidents' Trophy winner to lose their opening playoff game since the Bruins vs Red Wings in 2014.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 11, 2019
That is some comback by Torts & Co. in Tampa Bay tonight.
Bolts had lost 1 game in regulation all season when leading after 20 mins.
Columbus only won 2 games when trailing after 40.
Exciting way to start #StanleyCup Playoffs!!
— Joey Kenward (@kenwardskorner) April 11, 2019
#GoBolts blow a 3-goal lead in a playoff game for the first time in franchise history.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 11, 2019
Tampa collapse city
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) April 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/BrayUnes30/status/1116153711422771201
https://twitter.com/Go_HamBURGHlar/status/1116151426844172288
I 100% still think Tampa’s going to win this 7-game series and I don’t think it’ll go 7 games but holy hell I did not see last night’s upset coming, I don’t think anyone did outside of the Columbus locker room. Even diehard Blue Jackets fans (if such a thing exists) couldn’t fathom coming back from a 3-0 first-period deficit on the road in Tampa in Game 1 of the Playoffs. Just unbelievable.
Playoffs hockey is the single best stretch of sports. Anything can happen. Teams are playing at a speed unlike anything we’ve seen this season. Simply the best.