TAMPA, Fla. _ This is why you don't panic. This is why you still have faith in the Lightning.
Oh, sure, they will test you. And they will infuriate you. They will let Montreal take the game's first 18 shots _ and that is not a misprint _ and they will fall behind by two goals in fewer than 12 minutes. They will look listless, and they will look clueless.
But they will also remind you they have enough talent to occasionally make your dreams of a Cup runneth over.
The Lightning overcame a ridiculously poor start against the Canadiens on Saturday night to win, 5-4, and continue their revival in the Atlantic Division. Alex Killorn scored two goals, and Victor Hedman added four assists.
"We have two, three, four games in hand on some teams. So if we go out and win those games, then maybe (the standings) don't look as a bad," captain Steven Stamkos said Saturday morning.
"We're in a position, obviously, where we're outside of the playoffs at the moment. I think in the last month we've really focused in on certain areas of the game. Our play has been more consistent than it was in the beginning. We're starting to play the style that we've wanted to, that's conducive down the stretch."
In a way, we have reached the heart of the Lightning season. Three weeks to solidify confidence or concern.
It's not quite make or break, but it is a pivotal stretch. Thirteen games in 21 days. Six consecutive games against division opponents. The Lightning began the weekend in sixth place in the Atlantic.
"Everybody goes through some bumps in a season," said forward Pat Maroon. "We hit ours early in the season. Now we've got 13 games in 21 days. These next few weeks will really show us where our team is at."
If you were judging by the first 12 minutes Saturday night, you might have determined the Lightning's season was headed toward the dumpster. They had four days off after one of their more impressive wins of the season, against Florida, and they came out against the Canadiens like a team stuffed with fruitcake.
Montreal was firing shot after shot at goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the Lighting could barely get the puck out of their end. Barely two minutes into the game, Ryan McDonagh tried to clear a shot with his hand and the puck landed in front of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who scored an unassisted goal.
The Canadiens scored again, on their 16th unanswered shot, with Max Domi bouncing one in off the crossbar.
"People say, 'Oh, you've got all these games in hand,' " coach Jon Cooper said Saturday morning. "Well, now you've got to win them."
At that point, it looked pretty doubtful for the Lightning. One of the loudest ovations of the night came when Tyler Johnson got Tampa Bay's first shot on goal more than 12 minutes into the game.
But even as the Lightning attempt to rediscover themselves as a team that does not rely exclusively on a high-flying scoring act, there are still moments when their offense can stun you with its ferocity.
Their first goal was the critical one Saturday, with Stamkos sending a pass across the ice to McDonagh, who put a shot on goal that Killorn sent into the net with less than a minute remaining in the first period. It was the first of four goals on the night for the Killorn-Stamkos-Anthony Cirelli line, and it allowed the Lightning to grab momentum coming out of the first intermission.
Stamkos tied the score less than two minutes into the second period when he followed his shot off the glass and knocked in a mid-air rebound.
"When it all starts coming together," Cooper said, "we should be OK."
