A slew of injuries to key players raised some doubts about the Tampa Bay Lightning's fate in the postseason, but after a convincing five-game series win over the Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay appears to be right on track.
Top-pairing defenseman Anton Stralman fractured his left fibula on March 25, and head coach Jon Cooper admitted he's "hopeful" Stralman can return in the second round versus the New York Islanders.
With Stralman out of the lineup, the Lightning fared just fine, holding the Red Wings to 1.60 goals per game in the opening round, which didn't happen to surprise goaltender Ben Bishop.
"I never doubted them to begin with," Bishop said. "They've always been there all year. We've had guys in and out it seems like the whole year. We have a good defense corps. We have seven guys that could step in at any time. They've proven it all year, and I didn't expect anything less. I don't think they even elevated. I think we just stayed the same, and they've been that way all year."
Blueliner Andrej Sustr attributed Tampa Bay's early success to its depth as well.
"We've got some veteran defensemen that were able to step in and fill those minutes," Sustr said. "I think we all did a good job stepping up a notch a little bit and playing for Strals. We definitely want to keep going so we get Strals back."
Tamps Bay's short first-round series bodes well for Stralman, who is in his fifth week of rehab, and is exercising on his own regularly.
