BOSTON _ Sixty-two wins was not the goal Saturday afternoon. That much was clear as soon as the Lightning emerged for warmups without Andrei Vasilevskiy in the lead.
Not that it mattered. Players repeatedly said the NHL wins record would come in the course of play. That's what happened as the Lightning earned win No. 62 in a 6-3 victory over the Bruins.
It wasn't the primary goal (that's the giant silver Cup), but 62 looks good on the Lightning.
Maybe it figures that Tampa Bay came from behind to get there, just as it has many times this season. Bruins go up in the first period? No problem. The Lightning just outscores them in the next two.
Not much has been able to trip Tampa Bay up this season. Not early deficits, not losses, not injuries, not resting its star goaltender and four skaters in the final game.
In the end, the Stanley Cup matters most, but the Lightning has been on a truly historic road to get to the playoffs.
No team has won more games than Tampa Bay; only the 1995-96 Red Wings have matched that number.
Of course, Montreal of the 70s dominates that conversation of best teams, but that was a different era without a salary cap or overtimes. Those differences are what makes GOAT debates fun.
There's no argument that the Lightning is the best team in the last 20 years. Or that Nikita Kucherov, who notched goal No. 41 and added an assist Saturday, had the most impressive season of last 20 years.
In just about every category Tampa Bay is the best or has the most since (fill in the blank). Those blanks are more than 20 years ago and many of them feature a team with Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky.
Erik Cernak, Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli, Braydon Coburn and Tyler Johnson also scored for the Lightning Saturday.
