Maybe, Johnson said, the way the players handled that victory was the problem. There was no music, no atmosphere. It won't become a habit. It's the difference, goaltender Kevin Weekes said, between liking to win and loving it. Look at the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers, the Yankees.
People think it's because of payroll.
But those guys make sacrifices. They are dedicated. They do what it takes to win. The team dealt with that to a certain extent when it benched forward Todd Warriner on Saturday night. Such a move will be easier to make as the Lightning increases its minor-league depth.