The Tampa Bay Lightning are likely going to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens, like every other Canadian team, are not.
Yet, it was the Habs who managed a 3-0 victory over the host Lightning on Thursday, giving goalie Mike Condon his first National Hockey League shut out after he stopped all 26 shots he faced.
Meanwhile, the result and the effort left the Lightning, Eastern Conference champs from a year ago, searching for answers following such a disappointing outing.
Tampa Bay managed only three shots in the final period, and 12 shots combined over the final 40 minutes in a losing cause.
#TBLightning Stamkos: "We had too many passengers tonight. It's unacceptable."
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) April 1, 2016
Stamkos:"There's no excuses here. It's look yourself in the mirror time.If you're not giving the effort, you're letting your teammates down
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) April 1, 2016
With five games remaining on their schedule, the Lightning are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. This loss, plus Florida’s win over New Jersey, bumped Tampa Bay two points back of the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division.