The Tampa Bay Lightning have shown signs throughout the season that they’ve been the most effective team within the NHL. While that they had some problems early on and so they have had issues since getting back from the Olympic break, there was a portion in the midst of the season when the Lightning reeled off a 19-1-1 streak and dominated their opponents.
Head coach Jon Cooper knows he has a team that requires opponents to play their best game with the intention to have a likelihood to beat them. The Lightning have seen Nikita Kucherov rise to a position of dominance throughout the league as he has turn into the NHL’s leading scorer, bypassing Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
He also has loads of help from Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point. Kucherov has pounded the puck into the web 40 times this season and added a remarkable 80 assists for 120 points with 12 games remaining within the season.
The Lightning knows that Guentzel can be an excellent sniper and he has scored 32 goals and a 74 points, while Hagel continues to point out his improvement as he has punched in 33 goals this season.
Ryan McDonagh is top-of-the-line defenseman within the league and he’s backed up by J.J. Moser and offense-minded Darren Raddysh. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stays top-of-the-line goaltenders within the league with a 34-12-3 record, ad 2.30 goals against average and a .912 save percent, and because the Lightning approach the house stretch of the season, he’s prone to put together his best performances of the season.
The Lightning were in first place for much of the season, but they’ve fallen behind the Buffalo Sabres. While they may catch the Sabres down the stretch, in addition they know they may be successful from their position in second place within the Atlantic Division.
Lightning are a much stronger team than likely first-round opponent
If the present season involves a conclusion with the Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens in second and third place, respectively, it might be quite advantageous for the Lightning.
While Tampa Bay is an experienced team loaded with talent and confidence regardless of who they play in the primary round, the Canadiens would seem like made to order. Montreal is a superb offensive team featuring Nick Suzuki, explosive Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky, but they’ve numerous defensive holes that the Lightning can make the most of when the sport is on the road.
The chances are the Habs may give you the chance to bring back memories of The Flying Frenchmen in games on the Bell Center, however the Lightning usually are not the team that’s going to fold up after a surge by the house team. The Canadiens haven’t got the defense to decelerate Kucherov, while Guentzel, Hagel and the puck-pounding Raddysh can add to Tampa Bay’s offensive surge.
Even when the Canadiens play their best game, they simply haven’t got the goaltending to carry off the Tampa Bay offense. Neither Samuel Montembeault nor Jakub Dobes have stood out this season, and head coach Martin St. Louis will likely turn to teenager Jacob Fowler in goal. He’s a talented athlete who may turn into a winning netminder within the NHL, but he just isn’t there yet.
The chances are the Lightning will win this series in five games or less.
Lightning have a likelihood to catch the Sabres and move back into first place
Buffalo has 96 points with 10 games remaining while the Lightning have 93 points and a dozen games left on their schedule. The Sabres have lost their last two games, while the Lightning have gone 4-0-1 of their last five games. It isn’t inconceivable that they may take the division and earn either the No. 1 or No. 2 seeds within the Eastern Conference
If the Lightning regain the highest spot, it appears the likely opponents in the primary round would come with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Latest York Islanders or Detroit Red Wings.
The Lightning could be favored over any of those teams for the plain reasons. They’ve the experience, the star power, the depth of scoring and the goaltending.
The Bruins are a veteran team which have rebounded this season after failing to make the playoffs last yr. While they’ve star power with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and goalie Jeremy Swayman, they haven’t got the all-around skill to matchup with Tampa Bay’s depth. Ottawa is surging and the Senators play with confidence and so they might need the most effective likelihood of pushing the Lightning to the limit.
The Islanders appear able to winning a game or two while the Red Wings could also be out of gas by the point the regular season involves an end.
The Lightning may thoroughly be the most effective team within the Eastern Conference, and so they should beat any of their opponents at any point. All of their matchups look favorable, whether or not they finish the season on top within the Atlantic Division or must accept second place.