The East Conference Final is between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning, again. Last year, when they played each other in the same stage, the Bolts won the series in 6 games and went on to defeat the Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay eliminated 1 seed Carolina Hurricanes in 5 games while the Isles won against the Boston Bruins in 6 games. The Islanders won both series in this playoffs at the Old Barn, Nassau Coliseum which will move to Belmont next year. This big series kicks off from Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida on a Sunday 3:00 PM EST afternoon.
I loved the way New York played that series. After game 1, they played better, harder, and goaltending was great. Semyon Varmalov made up for the bad 2 games against Pittsburgh and went 4-1 in the Boston series. He faces the Tampa Bay top line which scared him last time. Last time these two played, Kucherov and Point were unstoppable so Pelech and his partner have to shut them down like how they did vs the Penguins and Bruins. Also, they have to figure out Andrei Vasilevskiy before it is too late. Not taking penalties will definitely help Barry Trotz’s teams and have to play to the whistle. Tampa Bay pretty much gets everything from their top line so if they can slow down the top 4, Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, and Point, I favor them to win the series against the defending champs. The 2nd line for New York has been marvelous this postseason. Bailey, Nelson, and Beauvillier combined for 32 points in 12 games and have the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most points for them in the playoffs. Tampa Bay is tough but this team has been through a lot and can surprise Jon Cooper’s team.
Tampa Bay defeated the Canes in fashion. They were 3-0 in the home of the Hurricanes which is a stadium hard to win in for the away team. Andrei Vasilevskiy was pretty much the reason they won. He allowed a total of 2 goals in 3 games and 9 goals in 5 games. He is a Vezina trophy finalist this year and has had another outstanding year. Stepping away from their goaltender, their top line is in the zone. Kucherov has 18 points and the entire top line has 56 points combined together in 11 games. They have been on fire this playoff year and are now 2nd favored to win the Cup. They are only 35 points more than Vegas and I feel could make it to the Final. This team is stacked and are capable of doing anything and can certainly repeat the Cup.
I believe the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to take Game 1 by the score of 5-3. Home ice is a factor and had an extra day of rest than New York. Their defenseman are probably worn out after Boston’s splendid top line and now have to go against a team which scared them last time in the Conference. Also, last time the Bolts didn’t have Stamkos because he missed time with injury and now they have him. Another important factor is the captain Stamkos who certainly knows how to shoot the puck. He will help them a lot for their quest for the back to back Stanley Cups.
This same exact series from last year kicks off on Sunday but this time with fans. Can the Tampa Bay Lightning take game 1 in front of fans or will the New York Islanders win Game 1 against a team which lost 8-2 in Game 1 last year? We will find out in the 1st Conference Final game from the Sunshine State, Florida.
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