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Lightning ready for whomever awaits it in the first round

 
Published April 8, 2018|Updated April 9, 2018

TAMPA — The "X" that signifies a team has clinched a playoff spot first appeared in the standings next to the Lightning on March 19, rendering the final 10 games of the regular season not meaningless but not must-win when it came to reaching the NHL postseason.

First in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference — and home-ice advantage through the conference playoffs — was up for grabs. The Lightning missed a chance to earn it all Saturday night in losing its regular-season finale at Carolina, leaving the Bruins with that opportunity in late Sunday's season-ending game against the Panthers.

No matter the outcome of the Bruins game, the Lightning said it feels good about where it stands heading into the playoffs, which begin Thursday at Amalie Arena.

"The guys are excited for the playoffs," wing Alex Killorn said after Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes. "We've clinched for a while now. We're kind of tired of waiting. We want to get started."

Though disappointed with Saturday's loss, coach Jon Cooper said, "I'm not disappointed in our regular season. I'm really proud of the way the guys worked and everything they've done, and that was our goal. Let's get to the playoffs.

"Where you finish, who you're going to play, a lot of that's out of your control. What was in your control was to make the playoffs. They did that. Now let's see who we play."

If the Bruins won Sunday, the Lightning faces the Maple Leafs in the first round as the division's second-place team. If the Bruins lost, the Lightning faces the Devils as the division and East winner. It has home ice in either case.

Aside from not having home ice should it meet the Bruins later in the playoffs, the Lightning might not be too upset at finishing second in the division because the Maples Leafs, the Atlantic's third-place team, seems the better matchup of the possible first-round opponents.

Tampa Bay was 3-1-0 versus Toronto in the regular season, including a 4-3 win March 20 at Amalie Arena in which it stormed back from a 3-0 second-period deficit.

The Leafs, who set a franchise record for wins in a season (49), are led by center Auston Matthews, who had three assists against the Lightning this season in playing only two of the four games. He missed 20 games this season with a concussion and a back injury.

Center Mitchell Marner leads the Leafs with 69 points (22 goals).
The Devils, the second wild card, beat the Lightning all three times the teams played in the regular season, including once in a shootout with backup Peter Budaj in net for the Lightning.

New Jersey enters the playoffs on a roll with wins in seven of its past nine games. Goalie Keith Kinkaid replaced injured Cory Schneider in late January and led the Devils' drive to the final playoff spot by going 19-6-1.

"No matter who we play, it will be a tough opponent," Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi said. "We need to be up for every night. I'm sure we're all looking forward to getting this thing going for the playoffs."

The Lightning set a franchise record for wins (54) and points (113), and could've added to those totals had it not stumbled toward the end. It went 5-4-1 in the final 10 games and earned only seven points in its last eight.

"Either way, we're happy about our season," Girardi said. "We got a lot of points, a lot of wins. We can't be too upset about it. It was a pretty good season."