Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Ryan Callahan could be forced to retire because of a back issue.

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois told reporters that doctors have recommended Callahan end his NHL career after being diagnosed with a degenerative back disease. 

The Lightning announced they have placed Callahan on long-term injury reserve as a result of his diagnosis.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that speculation about the Lightning potentially trading Callahan was uncertain because he "finished the year with back issues so there is some question as to whether he’ll be ready to play next season."

Callahan has had problems getting on the ice over the past three seasons. He missed 64 games during the 2016-17 after having two surgeries on his right hip.

During the 2018-19 campaign, Callahan played just 52 games, and his average ice time of 11:08 was his lowest since his debut season with the New York Rangers in 2006-07.

Callahan, 34, has played 14 combined seasons in the NHL with the Rangers and Lightning. He tied his career high with 54 points in 2014-15 to help the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final.

One year after finishing third in the Vezina Trophy voting, Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy took home the award for his outstanding performance during the 2018-19 season.

Vasilevskiy beat out Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders and Ben Bishop of the Dallas Stars to be named the NHL's top goaltender Wednesday.

Even though the Lightning's historic regular season didn't result in a Stanley Cup, there's no arguing that Vasilevskiy emerged as a dominant force in net. The 24-year-old led the league with 39 wins, tied for fourth in shutouts (six), tied for sixth in save percentage (92.5) and ranked ninth in goals-against average (2.40).

Vasilevskiy was able to put up those numbers despite missing 16 games with a fractured left foot.

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos made his case for Vasilevskiy winning the Vezina Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, via NHL.com's Brian Compton:

"There's not a lot that can be said about [Vasilevskiy] that all of us don't already know. I think he's gotten better as the season's gone on. I thought coming back from that injury, he wanted to get dialed in right away.

"You just see his work ethic in practice. You see his preparation for games, he's just so competitive. He wants to make every single save. It's obviously fun to be part of that because it makes our job easier to go out and just have to get one."

There were a number of factors that contributed to the Lightning tying the NHL record with 62 wins during the regular season. Their offense was fantastic once again, leading the league in goals scored for the second straight year.

Defense and goaltending made the biggest difference for Tampa Bay, though. The team went from 13th in goals allowed in 2017-18 to tied for seventh last season.

Vasilevskiy is the anchor of a Lightning defense that's among the NHL's elite. He was consequently rewarded for those efforts with the league's highest individual honor for a goaltender.

After his team was swept out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said the Bolts' record-setting season played a role in their demise.

According to ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski, Cooper felt that a lack of important games down the stretch left Tampa ill-prepared for the intensity of playoff hockey: 

"When you have the amount of points we had, it's a blessing and a curse, in a way. You don't play any meaningful hockey for a long time. Then all of a sudden, you have to ramp it up. It's not an excuse. It's reality. That's how it goes: You have a historic regular season, and we had a historic playoff."

Tampa Bay fell 7-3 to Columbus on Tuesday after a regular season in which the Lightning tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in a single campaign with 62.

As Barstool's Jeff Lowe noted, the winningest single-season teams in the history of each of the four major sports in North America have not enjoyed much playoff success:

In addition to tying the wins record, Tampa Bay had the second-highest points percentage over an 82-game campaign in NHL history at .780 behind the 1995-96 Red Wings. Also, the Bolts' 128 points were the fourth-most in a season.

On top of that, the Lightning had the best power play and penalty kill in the NHL, and their 3.89 goals per game were the most since the 1995-96 Red Wings.

Few could have expected the Lightning to get knocked out in the first round, let alone get swept, which led to this tweet from the Bolts' official Twitter account:

Cooper was left looking for answers as well:

"I don't know. It's funny: We're expected to go far this year, and we go nowhere. In 2015, no one expected us to go anywhere, and we went far, with the same core of players.

"It's hard to win in this league. It's tough not to be holding up the Stanley Cup at the end, but how many teams have gone through this? They knock at the door and knock at the door and then ... you look at Washington, for example. They had two remarkable years and got bounced in the second round, and the year no one expected them to do anything, they won the Stanley Cup."

In three of the previous four seasons, Tampa Bay made it to at least the Eastern Conference Final, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015.

This year seemed like the Bolts' best chance to win a Stanley Cup since they accomplished the feat in 2004, but now they will be left to ponder what could have been.

Despite the early exit, the Lightning are still built for success in 2019-20 and beyond. With forwards Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point (restricted free agent), defensemen Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy all likely to be back next season, Tampa Bay will still be a Stanley Cup favorite, and it may have added motivation.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had the best team in the NHL during the regular season, but they are now on the brink of a quick exit in the playoffs. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets earned a 3-1 victory over the Lightning on Sunday, putting them up 3-0 in the first-round series. Sergei Bobrovsky saved 30 of the 31 shots he faced in net, while Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist in the win.

One more victory sends them to the second round of the playoffs, where the franchise has never been in its 19-year history.

This would obviously be a surprise in and of itself, but the fact the Lightning are on the other end of the upset is the biggest shock. Tampa Bay dominated the NHL over the course of the 2018-19 campaign, winning the Presidents' Trophy with 128 points in 82 games. No one else was within 20 points of the squad that had the best offense in hockey.

The Lightning's 62 wins matched the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most victories in a season.

However, they have struggled over the past three games, scoring only two goals in the last two losses.

Observers had a wide range of reactions to the latest defeat:

Tampa Bay still has another chance to turn things around, but this has been a massive disappointment for the Stanley Cup favorites.

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished their incredible regular season in style, tying the all-time NHL wins record with a come-from-behind victory Sunday against the Boston Bruins.

Boston led 2-0 after the first period until six different Lightning players scored goals in the 6-3 win:

The win was the Lightning's 62nd of the year, which tied the record for most wins in a season with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, per the Associated Press (via Sportsnet).

The Red Wings didn't get the advantage of shootouts during their record-setting year with games ending in ties after one overtime session. That team had seven ties on the year to end with 131 points.

Tampa Bay took advantage of the rule change this year, going 6-1 in shootouts, but still ending up with 128 points.

Still, this was a historic year for the Lightning, which clinched the Presidents' Trophy with ease while dominating from start to finish. They are the first squad to even reach 120 points in the past three seasons, and no one else this year will reach 110 points on the season.

Only the Calgary Flames have a chance to finish within 20 points of Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov has blown away the competition with an NHL-best 126 points on the year with 40 goals and 86 assists. Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point also hit 40 goals this season to showcase the incredible scoring depth.

The only question is whether this squad can keep it rolling in the playoffs. The Red Wings lost in the conference finals in 1996, so the Lightning know they can't simply rely on regular-season success to carry them to a Stanley Cup.