Burns: Three things we learned from Game 6 defeat

The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken the difficult route to reach the Eastern Conference Final.

Why would advancing to the Stanley Cup Final be any different?

The Lightning certainly could have made things easy on themselves by playing a full 60 minutes in Game 6. The Bolts had the support of their home crowd behind them, 19,000-strong ready to celebrate their triumphs and revel in the Penguins’ failures.

But after a Jonathan Drouin goal was disallowed for being an inch offside, the Lightning’s quick start dissipated, and Pittsburgh took control and wouldn’t relinquish until three goals were on the board and 40 minutes gone from the clock.

The Lightning were timid.

They played afraid to make a mistake.

“We tiptoed around the game,” a perturbed Brian Boyle told reporters in the locker room.

The Lightning finally started to push back in the third period, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to a goal with a little less than eight minutes to go, but the Bolts started their comeback too late and couldn’t come up with the tying goal.

Now, the Lightning will have to win one more Game 7 on the road to keep their dreams of hoisting the Stanley Cup in mid-June alive.

The Bolts have been in this situation before, their experience should counter-balance the Pens’ home-ice advantage.

Game 7 is Thursday.

Here’s 3 Things from Game 6 while you bide your time.

1. THE MOMENTUM FLIPPER

Amalie Arena erupted when Jonathan Drouin one-timed a rebound into the open net created by a scramble on the opposite side of the goal. In fact, Lightning fans started celebrating even before Drouin struck the puck as Drouin’s position, the fortuitous bounce of the rebound and Pens goalie Matt Murray completely on the other side of the net all combined to produce a can’t-miss opportunity for Drouin.

But, while Bolts fans were high-fiving, the Penguins were challenging.

After a lengthy look at replay, officials determined Drouin was a fraction offside on the play as Victor Hedman carried the puck into the zone. The offside was so close, it went undetected by the linesman standing right there.

It had no effect on the play.

It was still offside.

The goal came off the board, and with it, the momentum in the stands and on the ice.

Boyle was asked following the game if the disallowed goal took something out of the Bolts.

“It might have,” he responded.

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