R1 GM7 Rapid Reaction || 2-1 OT Loss (MTL):

I know we’re all sad; I am crushed.

I’m not sure any fan on earth believed in this Lightning team as much as me. I stand by my belief—that’s why this loss is so crushing.

Man, we had the pieces…and we let it slip away.

Before I pump the Lightning through the roof, let me credit Montreal:

The most impressive thing I saw about the Canadiens was their defense. They blocked, they backchecked, they closed lanes & interrupted plays. The amount of chances we couldn’t finish because of a tied up stick was innumerable — that’s MTL’s defense. I have to tip my cap, bravo.

On top of superb defense, the pressure didn’t break them. This young, inexperienced team held their composure on the biggest stage.

I said it before the series: I did not want to play Montreal. I didn’t, and now it is crystal clear why…

Bravo, Montreal. I hope you’re the team that gives Canada their cup…better do it this year cause next year it’s ours.

Now for the Bolts…

I don’t know how to express how good of a team we had. We had leadership. We had speed. We had structure. We had defense. We had goaltending. We had depth.

We had all the pieces, literally.

Injuries came & this team continued on. We pushed past all the adversity to become a top team in the league. This loss — AGAIN — isn’t your stereotypical first round loss. We were dealt a tough matchup & our few mistakes cost us.

But there’s so much to be proud of—so much.

Was it perfect? By no means.

Vasilevskiy had goals he’d want back. Kucherov wasn’t enough of a factor. Our depth took too long to get going. We made the mistakes of an inexperienced team in game one, and our whole team laid an egg in game five.

That’s hockey. No team is going to be perfect for 60 minutes straight, let alone a full series straight.

But this team makes me proud in so many ways.

Our depth is amazing. We’ve found the Hounds line, and when we lost Holmberg (a crucial piece) other players stepped up. We’ve found James/Gonzo & their chemistry is off the charts. They’re going to help us in the coming years. The list goes on & on. I’m so proud of the young guys we’ve found & how they played in this series.

Plus, as hard as this is to face, our stars were phenomenal, too. Kucherov was nearly a PPG, and Hagel & Guentzel produced above that pace. Vasilevskiy was unbelievable & our defense was strong.

Our backs were against the wall in game six & seven and we played about as well as you could ask for…we held them without a FRICKING shot in the 2nd period…although the result is unfair, our effort was there. And I’m proud of that.

There’s too much to say — I’m crushed. This sucks. We’re too good to be done playing.

But we are done; it’s over.

I truly believe we would’ve gone all the way had we avoided 2 terrible bounces tonight…crushing. I guess now we start the countdown for next year:/

What a season, what a series.

Always proud to represent the Bolts alongside the rest of Bolts Nation💙

#GoBolts