Time for the Lightning to Strike!

Playoffs time is upon us and for us Tampa Bay Lightning fans, expectations are high and anything but the Stanley Cup will make this season an utter disappointment. The team finished the season with the best record in the league and also tied the Detroit Red Wings record of most wins in a season. However, all of those accomplishments will amount to nothing if the Bolts fail to win the Stanley Cup. Moreover, failure to win the Stanley Cup will only further strengthen the whispers about  Lightning’s coach, Jon Cooper comparisons with another well-known coach in Tampa Bay Sport’s history, Tony Dungy, and will lead to calls for Cooper's head. 

There is a poor paraphrase of a line from one of William Shakespeare’s play that rings true today; “Expectation is the root of all heartache." Expectations are sky high for Lightning fans this season. Last year’s bitter playoffs exit to the Washington Capitals frustrated me and other Lightning fans. This was the second time in three season that the lost in the Conference Finals, the other being against the Pittsburgh Penguins, after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015. What made those eliminations so bitter was the fact that on both occasions, the Lightning lead the series 3-2 and yet failed to win one more game to advance to the Finals. Furthermore, both the Penguins and Capitals went on to hoist the Cup. 

After last year’s elimination, it was hard not to compare Jon Cooper’s shortcomings with that of another well-known coach in Tampa Bay sport’s history; former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy. Dungy had one of the best teams in the NFL but he could not get the team over the hump and guide his team to the Super Bowl. He was dismissed and his successor, Jon Gruden, coached the Bucs to the Super Bowl in his first season and won the big prize that many in Tampa Bay thought would never happen. A year later, the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004 under the coaching of John Tortorella.

Fast-forward to today and the Lightning are trying to reach the Finals for the first time since 2015 when they fell to the Chicago Blackhawks. Jon Cooper has been trying to return to the Finals again and after those two bitter eliminations to the Penguins and Capitals in recent history, this season felt that the promised land was within reach. Former General Manager Steve Yzerman has assembled a great team for Jon Cooper and Cooper has done a remarkable job of coaching the great talent at his disposal and made them contenders. This is one of the deepest teams that I can ever recall in Lightning history.

However, the Bolts are already down 2-0 to the Columbus Bluejackets who are coached by none other than John Tortorella. With the exception of the first period of this series, the Lightning have been outplayed and out-coached by the Bluejackets. Panic has already crept in the Lightning fan base and tonight’s game is a must-win for the Bolts if they wish to win anything this year besides the accursed President’s Trophy. It’s not uncommon to see teams rebound after being down 2-0 in a series; but it is not something that we have seen the Lightning do often in their history. Nonetheless, failure at this stage or in the Final will not erase doubts that Cooper is not the man to get this team over the hump. It’s time for the Lightning to strike or else it will be for whom the bell tolls for Jon Cooper and the Lightning.

Barça are Finally Ruthless.

Throughout this past decade, Barça have entertained us and disappointed us. Along with the highs, there have been lows that have frustrated the fan base. One of my major complaints about this team, dating from Guardiola to last season, was their lack of being ruthless. However, under Valverde, it appears that this team has figured out how to be ruthless at the perfect time.

Besides the treble season under Luis Enrique, Barça had this tendency to let up instead of be ruthless. Time and time again, we would witness Real Madrid go through a crisis while their manager is on the hot seat. A victory over their bitter rival would have sent the Blancos into turmoil. However, instead of going for the kill, Barça would allow Real Madrid to escape their clutches and grab a victory in El Clasico that would give them some momentum and avert disaster.

This year however, Barça finally discovered how to be cold blooded. Real Madrid had already fired one manager, Lopetegui, after Barça defeated them 5-1 at the Camp Nou back in October. Under Solari, Real Madrid were facing Barça in three matches while trying to clinch a spot in the Champions League Quarter-Finals, a spot in the Copa del Rey Final, and try to stave off elimination from the league chase. The final two matches were going to be played in Madrid’s stadium and any positive result was going to inspire them onwards.

Fortunately, Barça managed not to lose all three games while also subjecting Real Madrid to suffer back to back defeats to their arch enemy in front of their own fans.  The consequences of these results saw Real Madrid then crash out of the Champions League following a 4-1 crushing defeat at home to Ajax Amsterdam. As a result, Solari was fired and Zidane was brought back. However, the damage was done. Madrid’s season ended in March and they had nothing left to play for.

Barça finally showed that they knew how to go for the kill and proved it a few weeks ago when Barça also defeated Atletico Madrid to increase their lead atop of the league standings while Atletico’s league aspirations suffered a terrible blow. A loss would have reduced Barça’s league lead to just five points between them. Instead, it’s now an 11-point cushion and it would take a total collapse for the Blaugrana to not win the league title. Barça’s momentum carried on outside of Spain when they defeated Manchester United for the first time at Old Trafford in the first leg of their Champions League Quarter-Finals.

The quest for the treble still is alive and Barça need to remain sharp and focused as the season comes to an end. Hopefully they can continue to be ruthless and continue to go for the kill. This is their moment and they must seize it and never relinquish it, and they can only do that if they continue to remain ruthless.