Stamkos: Lightning 'learned a lesson' after coughing up 3-goal lead

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was searching for positives after witnessing his team fail to close out Game 1 of its first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night.

The Lightning took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission only to have the Blue Jackets storm back with four unanswered goals to steal the game. Despite the disappointment, Stamkos says the defeat was a learning experience that players can benefit from.

"We got a 3-0 lead at home in the playoffs, that should be done and over with. If anything we learned a lesson tonight. We’ll be a lot better," Stamkos said according to Lightning beat reporter Caley Chelios.

Tampa Bay scored a league-high 325 goals this season and looked well on its way to a blowout victory in front of an electric home crowd. Following the contest, head coach John Cooper admitted the Lightning veered away from their game plan after gaining the lead early on.

"Our mentality was we wanted to outscore them instead of build the lead and shut them down," Cooper said.

The Lightning boasted a 31-1-2 record during the regular season when leading after the first period.