from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

It’s not a fluke. The Lightning didn’t run into a hot goalie. They’ve been getting outworked and out-executed. And stunningly enough, the veteran-laden group that has played in 83 playoff games the past four years is cracking under the pressure while the Columbus team without a playoff series win has shown a steely resolve.

“They are getting their asses kicked on every square inch of the ice,” said former NHL GM Craig Button, now an analyst for TSN. “(Columbus) is in their faces and is doing exactly what you do in the playoffs — respect your opponent but show them no mercy. (The series) is over IMO.

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from John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times,

Two games into the 2019 playoffs, the presumed MVP of the league was scoreless and minus-2. He was also suspended for Game 3 for hitting a defenseless player. And, after Sunday’s morning skate, he declined to say much about any of this.

Call it the Kucherov Hat Trick.

This is not a good look for a player in search of a legacy. He was sitting alone in a locker room Sunday morning because the rest of the team had already headed back to the hotel to rest up before a game he wouldn’t play in. And he was smugly deflecting most inquiries by saying “no comment’’ or “next question.’’...

There is some degree of cherry picking to single out the worst games of a superstar’s career but, more than any other league, the NHL defines its game by the postseason. And when Tampa Bay has needed him most, Kucherov has been more forgettable than memorable.

And to compound it, he seems to think he owes no explanation.

This isn’t about whether Kucherov is friendly with the media. This is about being accountable. This is about earning your $5.5 million salary. This is about being an adult.

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