After last night’s eked-out 4-3 overtime win over the hapless Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella said his team would be a dangerous playoff opponent.

Dangerous? To whom? The biggest danger the Bolts pose is to themselves, by sliding out of the postseason race. They needed to comeback again and again just to force OT against Washington. In the game before that, they needed to rally from four goals down against Florida — another team they should be plucking an easy two points from (and didn’t, falling to the Panthers 6-5 in overtime). Tampa Bay is one short losing streak away from being bounced.

With that kind of track record, there’s not a single reason why the Eastern Conference’s top four teams wouldn’t salivate over getting the Lightning as their first-round opponent. Tampa Bay’s isn’t showing anything near the consistency needed to survive in the playoffs. Unless their goaltending improves quickly (perhaps with Gerald Coleman somehow igniting the net), I don’t see them winning more than one game in a series versus Ottawa, Carolina, the Rangers or Buffalo. The only hope is for Philadelphia taking the Atlantic crown, as the Lightning has inexplicably owned the Flyers all season.

I’m sure Torts intended his comment to be a team morale-booster more than anything else. But it’s laughable to think anyone else in the NHL thinks the defending champ is a dangerous team. It’s going to be a brief stay in the postseason — if they get there at all.