Lightning take soap-opera route back to Eastern Conference final

Hands up, those of you who liked the chances of Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning to return to the East final when the Stanley Cup playoffs opened last month.

This was a team, after all, that seemed to be in turmoil most of the season, especially since the calendar flipped to 2016. Yet, here the Lightning are, back in the final four after dispatching the New York Islanders in five games.

Tampa Bay will face the Penguins beginning Friday in Pittsburgh (CBC, CBC Sports app, 8 p.m. ET).

The timeline for the defending Prince of Wales Trophy winners this season almost had as many twists and turns as a few months on Coronation Street.

Hanging over the head of Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman was whether or not he could sign star sniper Steven Stamkos to a contract extension. Stamkos, of course, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Then there was the issue with 21-year-old forward Jonathan Drouin. He was demoted to the AHL on Jan. 2, but after seven games with the Syracuse Crunch the third overall selection in the 2013 NHL draft bolted the Lightning organization.

The left wing, who through his agent demanded a trade last November, was suspended by the Lightning but returned to Syracuse in March to finish with a flurry with nine goals in 10 games.

Drouin was promoted to the Lightning, but only after Tampa Bay lost Stamkos to blood clot issues near his right shoulder that required surgery on Apr. 4.

Cooper keeps it together

Before Stamkos was lost, however, the Lightning already were without dependable defenceman Anton Stralman after he suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left fibula on Mar. 25.

Understandably, with these late-season developments, the Lightning limped into the playoffs with five losses in their final eight games of the regular season.

As a result, few liked Tampa Bay's chances. In fact, it was the Lightning's neighbours to the south in Jaromir Jagr and the Florida Panthers who became the new darlings of the Sunshine State.

But somehow head coach Jon Cooper of Prince George, B.C., kept his men together and they found their playoff groove again. The lawyer turned hockey coach, who made his mark with an AHL Calder Cup championship with the Norfolk Admirals in 2011-12, deserves high marks for the job he and his staff have done in guiding Tampa to five-game playoff victories over Detroit and the Islanders.

"Did I think that we would get to the second round in 10 games? Not a chance," Cooper said. "I don't think a lot of people going into the playoffs would have checked our box to move on. But the guys in that room are checking that box."

Hedman goes Bobby Orr

Beginning with big Ben Bishop, who once again has been terrific in goal.

Tyler Johnson's production dropped significantly in the regular season, but he has rediscovered the form he exhibited in the playoffs a year ago.

Nikita Kucherov continues to be a postseason goal-scoring machine. He now has 20 goals in 38 career NHL playoff games with nine in 10 games this spring.

Alex Killorn once again provided some offensive depth with some key goals.

Second-line centre Valtteri Filppula has become a dependable shutdown forward, penalty killer extraordinaire and the team's go-to guy on faceoffs.

Fourth-line centre Brian Boyle has a knack for chipping in a key goal.

Veteran Braydon Coburn has become a trustworthy shutdown defender in the absence of Stralman.

Victor Hedman has gone all Bobby Orr in this playoff run so far with four goals and nine points in 10 games to go with his outstanding defensive play and team-leading average of 27 minutes, 30 seconds a game.

Sure, the Lightning has had an easy path to the East final through the Detroit Red Wings and Islanders. But consider what Tampa Bay has overcome.

Now consider there is a chance that Stamkos could return in the conference final. What's another twist to these guys?