For teams that made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it is a time to be inspired and hopeful on what could be a championship run. For the remaining teams that missed out on the postseason, it's time to clean out the locker, take part in exit interviews, and reluctantly enter the offseason.
The Tampa Bay Lightning kept their Stanley Cup Playoff hopes alive until almost the very final day of the regular season, but fell just short of the goal. Not making the playoffs is devastating no matter what the situation, but missing by as slim a margin as the Lightning did is just a little more heartbreaking.
Understandably so, Nikita Kucherov wasn't incredibly excited to talk during exit interviews. The forward kept his answers to a minimum, then hilariously responded he would not miss talking to reporters at the end of the interview.
Honesty is the best policy.
(H/T r/hockey)
