TAMPA – After losing a playoff berth opportunity Thursday night with a 3-0 shutout against the Minnesota Wild, many Lightning fans were happy to see a playoff berth upon waking up Saturday morning to the news of Montréal’s regulation loss at Anaheim. The Lightning have officially secured a spot in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s the fifth time in six seasons (dating back to the 2013-14 season) that the Lightning have earned a playoff berth. With the playoff clinch, Tampa Bay makes history once again as one of the fastest teams to get a playoff berth since 2005-06. It tied the 2008-09 San Jose Sharks, who also clinched a spot in 68 games. The only team that has clinched a playoff berth in fewer than 68 games dating to 2005-06 is the 2009-10 Washington Capitals (67 games). “It’s hard to describe,” coach Jon Cooper said Saturday morning after the morning skate. “You wake today and see the little “x” by your name, it’s something that you work all year for, but it’s no time to sit back.” Cooper said there is still so much more the team has to do with the remaining 14 games left in the regular season, but knowing the team is officially in is a comforting feeling. “We have to make sure we keep pressing forward here,” he said, “so we don’t skip a beat coming into mid-April.” And his team agrees. “It’s a good accomplishment,” Steven Stamkos said. “That’s your goal at the beginning of the season, to give yourself a chance to go into the playoffs and that’s where anything can happen.” Stamkos has seen both sides of the post-season, making it all the way to the Staley Cup finals and missing the playoffs altogether. Neither experience, however, have accomplished the ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup. “We’re far from accomplishing what we want to do,” he said. “We want to just continue to get better.” Stamkos isn’t alone in those sentiments either. “A clinch is great, but there’s still a lot more work to be done,” Tyler Johnson said. With 14 games left in the season, both of them know that their team will be seeing all kinds of emotions from their opponents fighting for a spot of their own in the playoffs. “We have to find a way,” Stamkos said. “I think we’re all experienced enough as a group to know you can’t just flip a switch or press a button come playoffs time. We need to be playing well and that’s what we’re hoping to accomplish.” Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.<doc-sep>TAMPA, Fla. — The Detroit Red Wings managed to keep it close as they took on the best team in the NHL. Facing off against the playoff-clinched Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at Amalie Arena, the Wings fell behind early but didn’t collapse. The Wings lost for the 14th straight time to the Lightning, but the 3-2 final will at least help the Wings’ draft lottery odds. Thomas Vanek pulled the Wings within a goal late in the second period when he tipped Niklas Kronwall shot. Jonathan Bernier stoned Yannick Gourde twice during a Tampa Bay’s third power play, that was among several stellar saves Bernier made in the third period. Anthony Mantha took a pass from Kronwall and used Vanek as a screen to make it 3-2 with 56 seconds to play in regulation. Nikita Kucherov scored twice to reach 110 points on the season. Lightning score early The Wings fell behind three minutes into the game when Ryan McDonagh fired a shot from the blue line through traffic. The goal horn sounded again a few minutes later but officials immediately waved off the goal, and video review showed Victor Hedman’s shot never crossed the goal line. Video replays of the goal that made it 2-0 showed a stunning lapse in judgment as Kucherov was left wide open in front of the net, leading to his 32nd goal of the season. Both Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley were tied up behind the goal line, and Andreas Athanasiou did not cover Kucherov. Zadina watch Filip Zadina made his sixth appearance of the season, playing on a line with Frans Nielsen and Vanek and also on Nielsen’s power play unit. Zadina forced two saves from Louis Domingue on wrist shots in the second period, and looked confident skating with the puck during the second power play, making a play to get the puck to Nielsen. Zadina got the Wings their third power play when he drew a high-sticking call on Mathieu Joseph. Zadina earned his first NHL assist when he had a hand in Vanek’s power play goal More:Wings want Zadina 'to look dangerous offensively' Vanek strikes Vanek netted his 13th goal of the season with one second left on the Wings’ fifth power play. Vanek was to the right of Tampa’s net when Niklas Kronwall fired a shot from the blue line, and Vanek managed to tip the puck to pull the Wings within 2-1, with four seconds left in the second period. It was Vanek’s 47th career point (29 goals, 18 assists) in 48 career games against the Lightning. It was also his third point in three games since returning from a sore hip. Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.<doc-sep>Tampa Bay should also run away with the Presidents’ Trophy, giving the Lightning home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. According to PredictWise, which compiles odds from Betfair and removes the “vig” (house cut), bettors give the Lightning a 21 percent chance to win the Stanley Cup this year; no other team is higher than 9 percent. Tampa Bay has a 30 percent chance at being the last team standing in the East and an 18.6 percent chance to hoist the Cup, per Hockey Reference; no other team has a Cup chance in the double digits. And the oddsmakers at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas have the Lightning as the odds-on favorite (7-to-2 odds) to win it all; the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames are the next choice at 8-to-1.<doc-sep>
During their night off, the Tampa Bay Lightning sat on their couches and watched the Montreal Canadiens lose 8-2 to the Anaheim Ducks, a result that clinched a playoff berth for the team 15 points clear of the next closest team in the league. Related Stanley Cup Playoff clinching scenarios for March 8 Even if the Bolts decided to ice their ECHL team (though, I hear the goalie is pretty good) and lose every single night from now until the last day of the season, the team would still sit one point ahead of the Canadiens for the final divisional playoff spot in the Atlantic. That’s right. They wouldn’t even need the Wild Card. On Thursday night, all the Lightning needed was a win over the Minnesota Wild and they would be confirmed in. The win in game 68 would’ve been the second quickest in the salary cap era, behind only the 2009-10 Washington Capitals, who did it in 67 games. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen then, but technically the Lightning still did the deed in 68 games (plus some help), so second place on that record board belongs to the boys in blue and white. Not bad. If they clinch tonight, the @TBLightning (68 GP) would tie for the second-fewest games needed to clinch a playoff spot since 2005-06. In terms of calendar date, Tampa Bay would become the fastest to clinch over that same span. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/KqStd8lt37 — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 7, 2019 The next most important race will be whether the Lightning can catch leading scorer Nikita Kucherov in points. The Bolts have 106 while the Russian superstar has 108. It’ll be a daring fight to the finish, both sides look very strong, time will tell who will come out on top in the end.