This one was worse.

It was as if they were bowing to Florida’s reputation on defense. They were passing, circling, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Twenty minutes into the game, they had barely challenged Bobrovsky. They attempted only nine shots, and only three were on net. Florida, on the other hand, had fired 23 shots and were leading 2-0.

When the second period opened, the Lightning finally showed a sense of desperation and the momentum briefly shifted. It was 48 seconds into the period when Anthony Duclair whipped the puck toward the net from 25 feet away, and Brayden Point tipped it past Bobrovsky. Five minutes later, Stamkos rocketed a one-timer into the top corner on a power play.

For the period, the Lightning nearly tripled their shot attempts, and put 15 on net.

But once they tied the score, the Lightning seemed to lose their aggressiveness. And the biggest problem has been on the top line, which has been outplayed for long stretches of the series. Kucherov now has as many giveaways (three) as shots on goal (three) two games into the postseason.

Six periods into the playoffs, the Lightning have gotten an MVP-caliber effort from their goaltender.

And they have not led for even one second.

That does not bode well for what’s to come.

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