![]() ![]() The Columbus Blue Jackets had to win seven of their last eight games just to get into the playoffs. They've been on cruise control for months. They clinched a playoff spot in early March. But the bigger picture is this for the Lightning. Everything that they did so well in the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets did it better in this series. WYSHYNSKI: (Laughter) Well, I think Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh put it best. They were blowing away their opponents.ĬORNISH: So it's safe to say any sane hockey analyst (laughter) basically would have said that the Lightning was going to win the series, right? So what happened? So every time they stepped on the ice, they weren't just winning. Thirty of their 62 victories were by three goals or more. This was a team that was doing historic things in the regular season. That tied the all-time NHL record for wins in a season. Just how good were the Lightning before this collapse? Welcome to the program.ĬORNISH: Help us understand. Greg Wyshynski is senior NHL writer for ESPN. Columbus won its first playoff series ever with a sweep that still has experts like my next guest wondering what happened. Their first-round matchup was supposed to be a walkover. Now, contrast that with the Columbus Blue Jackets, an unlikely bunch. No team in NHL history had ever won more games in the regular season. In fact, there was a time - like, just over a week ago - that you could say they were one of the best teams ever. The Lightning were by far the best team in the National Hockey League. On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Lightning wish they'd never heard of the Blue Jackets. If you've never heard of the Columbus Blue Jackets, you're definitely not alone. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.Apologies to Ohio. Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Encina that brings you closer to the ice. Sign up for Lightning Strikes, a weekly newsletter from Bolts beat writer Eduardo A. The open-air areas to Amalie Arena will be opened three hours before puck drop. One thing that will be different is that the magnetometers usually stationed at the ticket entrances will be positioned further out at plaza entrances to create a more secure area, allow for adequate social-distancing and cue fans onto the property and into the building. The Cigar City Brewery tap room at Thunder Alley will be open, and there could be additional seating in the Pepsi Porch area above the main staircase to the arena. There will be a mask-wearing policy in effect, as well. The plan is similar to last year’s postseason, with people watching the game on a projection screen from socially distanced pods. The Lightning haven’t announced it yet, but the team plans to resume watch parties on Thunder Alley for the playoffs. The Lightning plan to resume watch parties on Thunder Alley for the postseason. Prepare to pay around $250 a seat for a 100 level ticket. ![]() Resale tickets for the games in Sunrise are less expensive, starting at $116 each for seats in the 300 level, but there are many available. Remember when purchasing that you’ll have to buy in pods of two to four seats. On third-party sites like StubHub, tickets for Lightning home first-round games currently range wildly, from $167 a seat to $836 for the Chase Club. Otherwise, you’re going to pay a premium. There also is a chance the Panthers could release more seats on game days. Depending on where you live in the Tampa Bay area, it’s a 3½-4-hour drive to the arena in Sunrise, located just a few minutes off Alligator Alley.īB&T Center will be at just under 50 percent capacity - about 9,000 to 10,000 seats - for the first round. As of Monday morning, TicketMaster still showed a few two-seat pods available for both Games 1 and 2 at BB&T Center starting at $100 a seat in the 300 level. Panthers home-game tickets have not sold out. Tickets for Lightning first-round home games were offered first to season ticket plan holders and then Lightning Insider email list subscribers. Are you willing to drive? Since there is limited capacity - Amalie Arena will host 7,000 fans a game for the first round - demand is higher than the supply of tickets. ![]()
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