TAMPA. Fla. – Steve Stamkos emerged from the Tampa Bay Lightning dressing room with his eyes red and watery and Bolts head coach Jon Cooper did his post-game press conference flanked by his assistant coaches, but both had the same belief, don’t count out this Bolts team to make another run next season.
“We’re not done,” Cooper said. “The last 8 years, we’ve been to 6 Conference Finals.”
Steven Stamkos put the Bolts up 1-0 over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup. It was Stamkos’ 11th goal this postseason. The Avalanche got goals from Nathan McKinnon and Arturi Lehkonen and Tampa Bay was shut out the rest of the way.
Stamkos credits Colorado but doesn’t want anyone to think the glory days of the Lightning are over.
“It’s unbelievable, Stamkos said. “Who says we’re done, right? This core is here. We battled. We’ve been through everything you can think of and for the most part, we’ve found a way to come out on top.”
The Bolts will have a number of free agents this offseason including Ondrej Palat and Nick Paul but the core of the team is signed and Cooper feels with this team there is something special.
“I never felt this about a team,” Cooper said. You get the bumps and bruises and guys are nicked up here and there, but nothing like I saw with this group and nothing that we witnessed when they came back,” Cooper said. the fact that they did come back that’s the heart of a champion.”
Stamkos feels bad for some of the newcomers on the team that won’t get a Stanley Cup ring.
“It’s a heck of a group, one of the tightest groups I’ve played with,” Stamkos said. “I’m sick to my stomach. Some guys didn’t get a chance to win with us. When they signed with us, we told them we’re going to make a run. To come up short, it’s a gut punch.”
According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Bolts have the second-best chance at 8-1 to win next season’s Stanley Cup. The Avalanche are 6-1 favorites to win it again next year.
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