WASHINGTON (AP) Jon Cooper walked into the locker room and didn’t get the sense Lightning players were down in the dumps about losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference final.”It was more kind of like an anger of like we want to get back – like let’s get Game 3 going here Brendan Leipsic Jersey Kids ,” Tampa Bay’s coach said.Game 3 on Tuesday night in Washington can’t come soon enough for the Lightning, who are in a historically difficult spot after losing twice at home to open the series.Of the 41 previous times a team lost the first two games in the conference finals, 39 went on to lose the series – including every team that lost its first two at home.”For us, it’s all about resetting everything,” defenseman Victor Hedman said Monday. ”There’s no panic. We’re obviously not happy with losing two games on home ice, but that is not something that goes into our locker room.”We’ve got the experience. We’ve got the guys that are in the playoffs for the first time, guys have been through this, and we’re capable of handling that.”The Lightning under Cooper haven’t lost the first two games of a series since 2014, when they were swept in the first round by Montreal. That was a learning experience players could point to when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, but right now it’s just an ugly deficit.It is the same deficit the Lightning erased against the Capitals in 2003.”If you just look where you stand in the series, I feel like it’s a big mountain to climb,” said former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis http://www.officialcanucks.com/authentic-adidas-brock-boeser-jersey , who was on that team. ”They got to focus on just winning the next game. And I truly believe if they do that, it’s going to be a long series.”After not allowing Boston to score an even-strength goal in the final three games during the second round, Tampa Bay has been outscored 7-1 by Washington at even strength and 10-4 overall.Asked what the Lightning needed to do better, three-time Cup-winning defenseman Ken Daneyko responded, ”Where do we begin?””They were so responsible defensively, making good puck decisions and through the first two rounds they didn’t give up a whole lot,” said Daneyko, now an NHL Network analyst.”Just mental breakdowns, mental mistakes by Tampa Bay. You never know why it turns so drastically like that when they were so sound against the Bruins. That can’t happen.”Mistakes are happening in abundance, most notably passing up shots that lead to opportunities the other way. And ill-timed penalties late in periods have led directly to Capitals power-play goals, which definitely can’t continue happening if the Lightning want to make this a series.”We need to do a better job of not getting in that situation, not letting two games in a row Christopher Tanev Jersey , 7, 8 seconds left on the power play and they get one,” defenseman Dan Girardi said. ”That’s something we can definitely control ourselves.”As clinically as Tampa Bay eliminated New Jersey and Boston in five games apiece, Washington is rolling behind the scoring of Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and the goaltending of Braden Holtby, who has stopped 52 of 56 shots through two games.The Capitals are feeling confident right now, but after falling behind 0-2 on home ice in the first round and roaring back to beat Columbus, they understand how fast things can swing.”We’re off to a heck of a start, but we’ve got to take care of business at home,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. ”If they win one or two here, boy, the momentum switches big time.”For the Lightning to win one or two games, they’ll need to get better production out of captain Steven Stamkos and winger Nikita Kucherov and better play out of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy Authentic Daniel Sedin Jersey , who hasn’t been at his best.”He’s going to have to be great,” said Keith Jones, a former NHL forward and current NBC Sports analyst. ”He’s being challenged to look through traffic and stay up. … Vasilevskiy’s going to have to play unbelievably well unless the Capitals take a step back.”If the Lightning can’t figure out how to fix many of their problems from the net out, it’ll be a short series. Cooper sounded confident of a turnaround.”There’s a really good group of guys there,” Cooper said. ”They’ve got a ton of experience and when their backs have been against the wall, they’ve shown a propensity to fight back. This is a tough one. We lost two at home and it’s definitely not an ideal situation. But we’re not done. It’s not over.”NOTES: Capitals coach Barry Trotz said C Nicklas Backstrom, who has missed three consecutive games with a right hand injury, remains day-to-day. … Washington D Michal Kempny was fined $2,419 – the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement – for cross-checking Lightning F Cedric Paquette during Game 2.— WASHINGTON (AP) — Remembering recent failures when it comes to extending winning streaks and fearing the defending Stanley Cup champions turned out to be a perfect recipe for the Dallas Stars.Dallas started fast with two goals 10 seconds apart and finished strong in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, giving the Stars their first three-game winning streak of the season. Jason Dickinson scored 3:17 into overtime to keep Dallas rolling under first-year coach Jim Montgomery.“There’s a lot of belief right now,” Montgomery said. “I don’t see any complacency in our group. I just see a determination and a focus that I haven’t seen before. That’s the exciting part.”The excitement is building for the Stars, who are starting to develop some consistency. Jason Spezza scored on a breakaway and Tyler Pitlick forced a turnover for an unassisted goal 10 seconds later as Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 lead that showed players they could hang with the Capitals.“When you come in here Womens Derek Dorsett Jersey , there’s a little bit of fear of knowing that they can run you out of the rink if you’re not ready to go off the hop,” Spezza said. “You can’t take these guys lightly, and I thought we learned a lesson from some of the other games we played on the road.”In the process, the Stars also learned about rebounding from mistakes and moving forward after blowing a lead. Goaltender Ben Bishop allowed soft goals from sharp angles to Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dallas’ defensive structure was lacking and yet it was able to get to overtime.Playing 3-on-3 in OT, Dallas outshot Washington 6-1. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby stopped Tyler Seguin on a penalty shot 59 seconds in, but Dickinson beat him on a deflection for his third of the season.“We’ll take it,” said Bishop, who stopped 29 shots. “They’re not always going to be Picassos. Sometimes you’re going to have to grind. Last game we had to hold on at the end. This one we had to find a way to come back and get that one in overtime. Finding different ways to win, that’s the big thing. It doesn’t matter how, just as long as you get it.”It also was a struggle for the Capitals, who turned the puck over on all three Stars goals in regulation and still had a chance after Kuznetsov tied it on the power play with 12:03 remaining in the third period. Brett Connolly also scored for Washington http://www.officialcanucks.com/authentic-adidas-henrik-sedin-jersey , but ill-timed turnovers in the wrong places led to a second consecutive defeat.“Every team comes fast like that,” said Holtby, who gave the puck away to Pitlick for his goal. “It’s not a surprise. You just have to be prepared for it and have a plan and execute. A couple plays, we didn’t do that.”While the Capitals continue to search for the kind of 60-minute effort that defined their playoff run last spring, the Stars are feeling good in the middle of a long Eastern Conference road trip. Montgomery set the goal of three wins in six games, and his team is already there with two left before returning home.“Everyone’s contributing,” Montgomery said. “You’re together and it’s a good feeling and everyone is enjoying being around each other.”NOTES: Holtby finished with 32 saves plus his stop on Seguin on the penalty shot in overtime. … Captain Jamie Benn also scored for Dallas, his sixth goal of the season. … Capitals D Brooks Orpik missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. He did not practice all week. … Stars D Marc Methot and F Alexander Radulov were out with lower-body injuries. Montgomery said Radulov returned to Dallas for treatment and will miss the final two games of the trip. … Montgomery said D Connor Carrick (foot) should be able to get back into skates soon.UP NEXTStars: At Boston on Monday in the fifth stop on their six-game trip.Capitals: Continue a five-game homestand against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.