NEWS: How the Lightning’s journey concluded with a third consecutive defeat in St. Louis.

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s journey through the 2024 regular season culminated in a disappointing 3–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, marking their third consecutive defeat against the Blues in as many meetings. The game, which took place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, was another tough pill for the Lightning to swallow as they struggled to find their rhythm in the final stretch of the season.

From the outset, the Lightning found themselves playing catch-up after falling behind early. Despite strong offensive pressure, particularly from their top forwards like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, Tampa Bay couldn’t solve Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who turned in a stellar performance. The Lightning’s power play also faltered, going 0-for-3 on the night, a trend that had plagued them in recent games.

St. Louis capitalized on its opportunities, with key contributions from their scoring leaders. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou were particularly effective, both scoring goals and providing strong two-way play. The Lightning were able to battle back in the second period, with Steven Stamkos netting a goal to tie things up, but they were unable to sustain the momentum.

As the game wore on, fatigue and frustration seemed to take hold for Tampa Bay. Defensive lapses allowed St. Louis to regain the lead late in the third period, and despite a late push in the final minutes, the Lightning couldn’t break through.

This loss was a microcosm of Tampa Bay’s struggles in the latter part of the season, as they failed to find consistency both defensively and offensively. The defeat not only marked their third consecutive loss to St. Louis but also raised questions about the team’s playoff readiness heading into the postseason.