Stanley Cup Playoffs: Predictions for each second round series
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (4) Boston Bruins
This is the series everyone was expecting to see in the Eastern Conference Final. But we’re getting it a little bit earlier!
Why Tampa can win: Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning got swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets. This season, they got their revenge, beating them in five games. Tampa has very few weaknesses on paper. Their offense is capable of scoring in bunches and they attack defenses in waves.
Brayden Point had a terrific series against the Blue Jackets, picking up two overtime game-winning goals. He has 10 points in eight games and he might be Tampa’s best player, which is saying something because they have Nikita Kucherov (9 points), Norris Trophy finalist Victor Hedman, and Vezina Trophy finalist and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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Tampa’s depth is going to be hard for the Bruins to stop. The Lightning’s third line of Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, and Yanni Gourde were extremely dominant against Columbus. Boston has to figure out a way to match up against their top three lines. That’s a heck of a lot easier said than done.
Why Boston can win: Boston’s top forward line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak get most of the attention. And rightfully so. But their second line has been impressive during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So has their defense, who managed to minimize the damage done by the dangerous Carolina Hurricanes.
Jaroslav Halak is good enough in net for the Bruins to have a chance to win on any given night. That’s about all you can ask for from a backup goaltender, especially one forced to become a starter after Tuukka Rask opted out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a family emergency.
PREDICTION: Tampa in 7. Boston’s not going down with a good hard fight, but I think the Lightning’s forward depth is just too much for the Bruins to handle.