Lightning ‘targeted, sure’ as Stanley Cup three-peat pursuit begins

“We now possess by no device shied away from that,” the Lightning coach told NHL.com after apply at Amalie Arena on Monday. “We had it last year. Are you able to repeat? And we did. We know we’re going to listen to the three-peat noise. This crew, it be factual a prone, targeted, sure crew of guys that is conscious of precisely what they’ve to pause.”

The Lightning will elevate a banner honoring their 2020-21 championship to the rafters here prior to their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday (7: 30 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). It’ll dangle to the very best of their 2019-20 championship banner.

But the starvation for more hasn’t waned with success.

“Even factual having a leer around and meeting with the leadership crew, they’re actually furious for the year in a time when they’ve an excuse no longer to be,” Cooper talked about.

[RELATED: Cooper signs three-year extension with Lightning | Lightning season preview]

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos talked about one more championship would assign them within the dynasty dialog in all official sports. No NHL crew has received three in a row since the Unusual York Islanders received four consecutive championships from 1980-83.

It hasn’t took assign within the Nationwide Basketball Association since the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02). The last time it took assign in Major League Baseball used to be the Unusual York Yankees (1998-2000). It has by no device took assign within the Nationwide Soccer League.

Cooper talked about he would within the waste notify with extinct Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez, who lives within the assign, about what it used to be enjoy for them going for his or her third World Series title in a row.

“From high to backside, you leer at the finest teams ever and it be mighty no longer to claim the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s weren’t one of them, and so that they by no device did it,” Cooper talked about. “That’s how mighty it’s. Adore, no one surely will get to pause this.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins take into account feeling the same level of enjoyment about their likelihood for 3 straight championships after they received the Cup in 2016 and 2017. Their inform ended against the Washington Capitals within the 2018 Jap Convention 2d Round.

“It be mighty to pick one, no longer to claim two,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan talked about. “But if you possess a staunch crew and which you would possibly also possess had success and you’ve got got religion and perception in your crew, then the relaxation’s imaginable. That used to be the mindset of our crew going into that season. I’d no longer give it some idea be mighty diversified in Tampa.”

Video: Tampa Bay Lightning 2021-22 Season Preview

It’s no longer no topic some important modifications to the Lightning’s depth chart.

Their complete third line from the past two seasons is gone with Yanni Gourde going to the Seattle Kraken as section of the 2021 NHL Growth Draft, Blake Coleman signing a six-year contract with the Calgary Flames and Barclay Goodrow being traded to and signing with the Unusual York Rangers.

Tyler Johnson, a fourth-line forward last season who might per chance perchance pass up into a high-six role when main, used to be traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I’d be afflicted about them shedding their complete third line,” TNT analyst Keith Jones talked about. “I beget no longer contemplate we are able to underestimate how important they were to their success. It be a enormous motive why these three gamers were usually torn out of there to stride to unique teams to ascertain out to lend a hand their unique respective teams procure over the sail. They will be missed. It will doubtless be an improbable feat if Tampa is ready to procure that third Cup in a row based upon the gamers that they misplaced.”

But the Lightning seem less absorbing.

“Trade is generally staunch,” Cooper talked about. “Now not drastic, however a puny bit of change isn’t a terrifying thing. We stride away out the blokes who are gone, no establish a query to. But if you change them with the persona that we did, you pull for these guys. It be been a seamless transition to this point.”

Tampa Bay signed prone forwards Corey Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Perry misplaced to the Lightning within the past two Cup Closing series, in six video games as a member of the Dallas Stars in 2020 and five with the Montreal Canadiens last year.

“He’s heard a whole lot of stuff about that Montreal series and the Dallas series already,” Stamkos talked about.

Zach Bogosian returned on protection, replacing David Savard, who signed with the Canadiens. Bogosian received the Cup with the Lightning in 2020.

Brian Elliott is the unique backup goalie to Andrei Vasilevskiy, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner who is 34-14 with a .932 assign share, 1.90 targets-against average and 6 shutouts in 48 Stanley Cup Playoff video games the past two seasons.

Defenseman Cal Foote and forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk are on the roster after being extras for the length of the disappear last year.

“If the relaxation, we are able to fall abet on what we did last year and how we embraced that assign, severely missing our handiest participant in ‘Kuch’ (Nikita Kucherov) to your complete year,” Stamkos talked about. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, however we knew if shall we factual procure to the playoffs … that’s why we did not care we carried out third within the division. It wasn’t a enormous deal for us. We factual wished to procure in.”

That’s the incentive for the Lightning now as they prepare for opening night, for one more banner elevating ceremony in entrance of a full dwelling and for a grind that, if a hit, will cause them to a possibility to about a-peat.

“We factual cannot leisure on what has took assign the past two years,” Stamkos talked about. “The begin is serious to any season and I contemplate perchance even a puny more so for our crew now. Let’s procure off to a extraordinarily staunch begin. Particularly if you possess a crew that has been collectively for so lengthy as we possess, that’s if you retract relieve is at the starting of the year when some teams are factual feeling out their rosters, guys are getting a possibility, each person isn’t any longer dialed in on their special teams.

“We know we’re going to chat relating to the three-peat. We know we’re going to chat relating to the playoffs. But the aim perfect now’s to procure off to a extraordinarily staunch begin.”

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika and self reliant correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this epic