Devil is in the details as Lightning approach season finale

TAMPA — With just one matchup remaining in the regular season, the Lightning are running out of chances to feel good about their game going into the playoffs.

Since clinching a postseason berth April 5, the Lightning have lost four of their past five games heading into Wednesday night’s regular-season finale against the Maple Leafs.

And while there’s no guarantee that finishing off the regular season strong is a precursor to postseason success — the Lightning stumbled into the postseason before each of their Stanley Cup-winning seasons — they still want to feel confident in their attention to detail heading into the playoffs, where every mistake is magnified.

“If you win, you’re going to say, ‘Yeah, we’re feeling good going into the playoffs,’ ” said captain Steven Stamkos. “If you lose, you’re going to say, ‘No problem. It’s a reset.’ So it’s whatever way you want to look at it. It’s not the end of the world either way. ...

“That’s the beauty of playoff hockey. It’s so different than the regular season and you know things can change really quickly in a series, in a game. And it’s the unexpectedness, that’s what makes our playoffs so great.”

Before winning their second straight Cup in 2021, the Lightning ended the season with three straight losses. Before winning in 2020, they were 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, even though there was a nearly five-month gap between the abbreviated end of the regular season and the beginning of postseason in the bubble because of the pandemic.

Still, the Lightning are going into the finale trying to recapture the form that led the to the playoffs — a 12-game stretch in which they went 10-1-1 and distanced themselves from a muddled pack fighting for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Like the Lightning, the Maple Leafs’ playoff spot has been locked up for some time, and center Auston Matthews went into Tuesday’s game with the Panthers one goal shy of 70.

“There was a time when our game was really good, we were tight, we weren’t giving up a whole lot,” Lightning assistant coach Rob Zettler said. “And then, the last few games we’ve given up more chances than we’d like to and against a powerful Toronto team you know that some guys are after 70 goals, potentially. So they’re going to play hard and they’ve got some incentive there.

“So I think our habits have to be reinforced. As a coaching staff, that’s all you’re trying to do ... so when we do drop the puck in Game 1, we’re ready for it and there’s really no surprises. You’d hate to lose a game on the lost detail.”

During the Lightning’s recent 12-game stretch that sent them to the verge of a playoff spot, they allowed an average of 19.5 scoring chances per game, according to Natural Stat Trick. In the five games since, they’ve allowed 27.4 a game. Over that stretch, puck possession has been a problem. The Lightning have stung themselves by committing turnovers in their own end that have allowed opponents Grade-A scoring chances, something that they had eliminated from their game in March after struggling earlier this season.

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Tuesday’s practice at Amalie Arena was the second-to-last until the postseason begins, and Zettler said there was a concentration on little things, from faceoffs to breakouts and power-play strategies. The Lightning didn’t know at the time who their first-round opponent would be, but they could focus on refining their own game regardless.

“We’re not really sure which way to go (as far as an opponent),” Zettler said. “But there’s still a few things in our game that are consistent that we expect night in and night out, just kind of going over those details to reinforce those things. ... I think that the focus (Wednesday) is more just playing tight defensively and making sure we’re not giving up anything easy.”

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