Lightning well-equipped to make a deep run in the playoffs

Kevin Allen | USA TODAY Sports

One truth about NHL playoff competition is that you have to understand how you lost in the postseason before you can figure out how to win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost the Stanley Cup Final to the experienced Detroit Red Wings in 2008 before they turned the tables in 2009.

The Chicago Blackhawks were taken to school by the Red Wings in the 2009 Western Conference final before they won the Cup in 2010.

The Los Angeles Kings were ousted in the first round in 2010 and 2011 before entering their current run of 41 playoff wins and two Stanley Cups over three seasons.

If you can follow that history, you also can appreciate why the Tampa Bay Lightning have to be viewed as one of the NHL's most dangerous teams entering the playoffs.

Tampa Bay finished with 101 points last season but was swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

Goalie Ben Bishop's injury was a major factor in Tampa Bay's demise, but the Lightning's evaluation went much deeper.

"We needed a defenseman and guys who had won before," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "OK, let's put those on our list, and (general manager) Steve (Yzerman) goes out and gets (them)."

The offseason additions included defenseman Anton Stralman and checking center Brian Boyle, signed as free agents. Those two players combined for more than 100 playoff games with the New York Rangers over the last three seasons.

"The one move that goes unmarked is the (Jason) Garrison trade," Cooper said.

Garrison is out with an injury, but before that he was plus-27 and helping the team as much defensively as offensively. He was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks to become a top-four defenseman. He was also known for his shot from the point.

At the trade deadline, Yzerman also added veteran Braydon Coburn from the Philadelphia Flyers. Tampa Bay's defense is bigger and far more mobile and experienced than it was last season when it was bounced by Montreal. Matt Carle, Stralman and Coburn have reached the Stanley Cup Final before.

"We have a lot better understanding of our system," Bishop said. "We have added some big pieces, plus it's a snowball in our second year under Cooper. You learn his system, you add pieces to it and you take a step forward."

The Lightning are also among the NHL's top offensive teams, and Tampa Bay's offensive weaponry is more varied and consistently effective.

Younger players Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov have almost become as dangerous as team captain Steven Stamkos. As a line, the trio is as dangerous as Stamkos' line.

It's as if the Lightning have two No. 1 lines. Cooper concedes that one of his challenges is sorting out the ice time to make sure all of his top players think they are getting enough ice time to make a difference.

"We are starting to see the fruits of our labor in our five-year plan," Cooper said.

The only unknown for the team is whether Bishop's lack of playoff experience will be a factor. He has never played in an NHL playoff game. He was injured last season before the playoffs.

Cooper says it helps that the team's architect is Yzerman, who had a Hall of Fame playing career.

"He has 30 years under him (as a player and a member of management)," Cooper said. "He has been the man, and he's been a fourth-liner at the end of his career.

"He has been on good teams and bad teams. He has been down every single road. So when there is a dent in the road, you can go to him and he has already thought out some answer because he has been there before."

No one knows whether the Lightning will win the Stanley Cup this season, but everyone in the organization knows this team is much better prepared to make that run than it was a season ago.