from Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times,

If you can, just for a moment, set aside your rooting interest in this Stanley Cup final between the Lightning and Blackhawks, and appreciate what it is you are watching.

That's not easy to do, of course, if you're a fan of the Lightning. You're way too wrapped up every shift, every shot and every save to find something this nerve-racking to be that enjoyable. Only after the fact can you sit back and realize what you just witnessed was actually incredibly fulfilling.

What we have here are two marvelous hockey teams playing with the type of passion and hunger only seen when there is a big silver trophy at stake. Take all that talent, all that artistry, sprinkle in some grit and rough stuff and add a big pinch of intrigue with a mysterious injury to a star player and what you have is a Stanley Cup final for the ages.

"It was a lot of fun out there," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said.

Just terrific.

Try to remember that today in the wake of the Lightning's 2-1 loss Wednesday in Game 4, a loss you likely will remember as frustrating and it was disappointing.

For the Lightning, no doubt, it was both of those things to go along with the sickening realization that a victory that could have put a stranglehold on this series slipped right through its hockey gloves.

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