TAMPA Womens Ryan Callahan Jersey , Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Lightning know the grind.Back in the Eastern Conference final for the third time in four years, the Atlantic Division winners led the NHL in scoring this season but have been even more impressive defensively through the first two rounds of the playoffs.”I think if people looked at our team in the regular season … we had the most goals scored in the league or close to it. So, we’re kind of looked at as that team, the high-flying Bolts that can score and defense isn’t really important to them,” coach Jon Cooper said.”To us, all along it has been (important). To win in the playoffs, you have to have that,” Cooper added. ”Probably the one thing that’s gone under the radar is how physical we’ve been in both series. I think that’s really helped the cause to where we were. It’s difficult in an 82-game season to bring that kind of intensity every single night. In the playoffs guys are more dialed in.”Sunday’s 3-1 victory closed out the team’s second-round matchup against the Boston Bruins in five games.Coming off a week’s rest, the Lightning allowed six goals in losing Game 1.Over the last three games of the series, including a pair of wins in Boston, Tampa Bay neutralized the Bruins’ high-scoring line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak while not allowing an even-strength goal.Much of the credit goes to the line of Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, which rebounded from yielding 11 points to the Bergeron line in the series opener to move than hold their own against the Boston trio the rest of the way.”It’s a four-line effort. You have to have depth. You have to have it. It’s the way everybody bought into their rolls and contributed,” Cooper said.The Lightning’s depth also showed offensively, with 12 players combining to score 17 goals in the second round.Point, J.T. Miller and Anton Stralman scored in Sunday’s clincher against Boston.”For sure, you don’t expect to come in and beat a team like that in four straight games after dropping the first one. We expected a long series,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. ”I don’t think any team goes in thinking you are going to clean out a team in the second round in five Ryan McDonagh Jersey , but it happened. When you play the right way, you get rewarded for it.”Tampa Bay is the eighth team since 1998 to reach a conference final three times in a four-year span.The Lightning defeated the New York Rangers in 2015, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to Chicago in six games. They lost the 2016 East final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games.”It’s good, but it will be gratifying if we win two more series,” forward Ryan Callahan said. ”We’ve been here before, so the shock and awe of really getting this far really isn’t there. We are happy with our first two series, but there is so much more work to do and we realize that.”The Lightning will face either Washington or defending champion Pittsburgh. The Capitals lead that semifinal series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Monday night.”We’ll watch it for sure, but I think the most important thing at the end of the day is just getting our rest,” Point said, looking ahead. ”We’re going to be ready when our time comes, hopefully prepare well, and play some good games.”— LOS ANGELES (AP) — All-Star outfielder George Springer left Houston’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after injuring his left thumb trying to steal second base in the third inning Sunday.Springer exited with discomfort in his thumb following a headfirst dive into the bag. He was thrown out by Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal.It’s unclear how long the 2017 World Series MVP might be sidelined.“At first, I thought it was the base that caught him and then when I got out there both (Chris) Taylor and (Brian) Dozier told me that the glove clipped his (left) hand,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said after his team’s 3-2 loss. “He was in a lot of pain. It bothered him, so it was an easy decision to bring him out. He is going to get evaluated. Other than that I have no idea.”Jake Marisnick replaced Springer in center field for the Astros. Marisnick robbed Taylor of a home run to end the sixth.Springer was the World Series MVP last year after hitting five home runs in seven games against the Dodgers. He went deep in the first inning Sunday for his sixth leadoff home run this season.The two-time All-Star also left Tuesday’s game at Seattle when he injured his left shoulder while diving to make a catch in the first inning. He was not in the Astros’ lineup Wednesday.Springer started all three games in the weekend series against the Dodgers, getting an extra-base hit in each game of the World Series rematch.
