Crossing The NHL’s Atlantic Division: Week 27

Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Lightning

By Tasha Meares of Bolts By The Bay

This has been an exciting week so far for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The word must-win gets thrown around a lot when it comes to the end of the season; however, the last game really was a must-win for the Lightning.

In what turned out to be an incredibly exciting game, the Tampa Bay Lightning started out their six-game home stand with a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. This was a very special game for the Lightning as this win was the win where the stars aligned, with a little help from the Dallas Stars and the Buffalo Sabres, and the Lightning clinched themselves a spot in the 2014 NHL Playoffs.

Now, with the remaining six games in the season, they can begin to work on home-ice advantage. This quest will start on Thursday when the Lightning defends home ice against the Calgary Flames.

The Bolts will finish out the week as they host the Dallas Stars, one of the teams that threw them an assist in earning their playoff spot, on Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

This is certainly going to be an interesting week for the Lightning. The team has one of the best rookie classes in all of the National Hockey League. This was made evident by left-winger Ondrej Palat being named the rookie of the month by the NHL for the second time.

I see many good things in the future for this young team. I, for one, cannot wait to see what the remainder of the season holds.