This is heartbreaking for the team who went to three consecutive cup finals, winning two of them, and head coach Jon Cooper made things clear to his team if they were on the verge of giving up.
Nikita Kucherov, who won the Art Ross trophy this season and will be in the conversation for the Hart (league MVP) hasn't looked like himself, and Conn Smythe and Vézina winner Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn't either, despite having backstopped a cup championship just two years ago.
Thus, Jon Cooper has given his team an ultimatum - if they don't believe they can turn this series around and win, they shouldn't show up to the rink at all:
While the odds are stacked against them, if there's one team that never gives up, it's the Tampa Bay Lightning.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 26 | 169 ANSWERS Jon Cooper gives his players a harsh ultimatum after going down 3-0 Do you think the Tampa Bay Lightning will turn things around and win this series? | ||
| Yes | 25 | 14.8 % |
| No | 144 | 85.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 21, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Viktor Arvidsson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jonathan Aspirot | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Casey Mittelstadt | - | 2 | 2 | |
| David Pastrnak | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Kailer Yamamoto | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Josh Anderson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Cooley | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Morgan Geekie | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Janis Jerome Moser | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||