TAMPA | Mines were low in the conference room where Sam Reinhart, Jonathan Huberdeau and head coach Andrew Brunette paraded after that third loss in a row.
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Was it because of the agony of losing or because they know that winning four straight games against the Lightning is a miracle? Ned Braden would certainly have bet $10 on the second option.
“The most important thing for us is that we win. Nobody thought that we would lose three to zero in this series either,” stated Huberdeau, correctly indicating that nobody believes in a reversal of the situation on the part of his teammates and him.
In force. Nobody believes it. After all, the Lightning haven’t suffered back-to-back playoff losses since 2019.
“We can come back. It’s about winning a first game and scoring more than one goal,” said the Quebecer.
“We no longer have the right to lose,” he added. Everyone should give more. »
It’s a shame that the Panthers only had their backs to the wall to realize the urgency of the situation. Brunette didn’t make it too clear, but he got the message across that his squad was a bit lacking in energy.
“The Lightning have more will and determination than we do. His players block shots, which we don’t. They beat us constantly on loose pucks. These are small details that add up to make a big difference after 60 minutes,” said the Panthers head coach.
Frustrated by Vasilevskiy
It must be said that Andrei Vasilevskiy’s outfit has nothing to rekindle the panthers’ flame. The Russia keeper saved 102 of the 105 shots he faced. Which gives it an impressive efficiency rating of 0.971.
When morale isn’t already at its peak, it’s even more disheartening to come across a goalie who’s at the top of his game.
“We meet the best goalkeeper on the circuit. He makes the stops. We have our chances to score, but we don’t get good rebounds,” said Huberdeau, who has limited himself to two assists against the Lightning so far.
Reinhart also acknowledged that the frustration could be felt among the squad.
“It’s hard not to be (frustrated),” said the striker. Vasilevskiy plays excellent ice hockey. To beat him we have to keep doing what has worked well for us, like putting more circulation in front of the net. In the third section we got a bit off our game plan. It comes with the frustration of not being able to score. »
And it would be surprising if the situation changed by Monday evening.