Tuesday, 4 a.m.
Now that the NHL playoffs are almost here, the Tampa Bay Lightning doesn’t seem interested anymore.
The Bolts lost their third game of their last four Monday night, losing 4-2 to an out-of-it Buffalo team. The Bolts had caught fire after the trade deadline, but recently, they have lacked fire and efficiency.
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Tampa Bay remains in possession of the top wild-card spot, which could explain their approach. Then again, Buffalo doesn’t have anything to play for, either. They will miss the playoffs for the 13th straight season.
The Bolts did get the 40th goal of the season from Steven Stamkos and another from Eric Cernak, but the Sabres built a 3-1 lead for their third win in four games against Tampa Bay.
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up four goals, bringing his total to 15 in the last four games.
The Bolts close out their season Wednesday night at Amalie Arena against Toronto. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.