“We were definitely sloppy with the puck on our stick,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Turnovers were an all-time high for us in the season, but in the end, we got outworked, if we’ve really looking at the big picture here, and there’s a team that simply came in and worked harder than us, and that’s the disappointing thing for sure.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a perennial contender in the Eastern Conference. While their run of three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances is over, they are still looking to add another banner to the rafters.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Bolts GM Julien BriseBois aren't afraid of mortgaging their future and setting the tone in the Atlantic Division arms race.