The Lightning will defend their teammates, but they don’t have many enforcer types. Defenseman Emil Lilleberg is the exception, but he struggled enough with his own game Tuesday. Still, if there’s someone who can send a message early in Game 2, it’s Lilleberg. And it might be as good for his game as anything else.

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs have already included some twists and turns, including long-injured players returning to the ice and others playing through various ailments. That's hockey!

Cirelli played 6:21 and missed most of the final two periods in a 6-2 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday. When asked for an update, coach Jon Cooper shook his head. Cirelli is arguably the Lightning's top defensive forward and a major piece of their penalty kill, which gave up three goals in Game 1.