3 reasons why the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Boston Bruins
The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to the Eastern Conference Final, and here are 3 reasons why.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were embarrassed by the Columbus Blue Jackets last postseason, as they swept the President’s Trophy-winning Lightning. They clearly learned their lessons from that humiliation, as the Lightning are now back in the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in the last six seasons after beating the Boston Bruins in five games.
Tampa beat Boston in a variety of ways. They outworked them, as two of their four wins were one-goal wins. Tampa out-skilled them, especially in Game 3, which they won 7-1. They beat the Bruins at their own game and never backed down.
This is the Tampa Bay Lightning team we thought we’d see in last year’s postseason. Though it’s happening a year later, the Lightning are looking every bit as dangerous as everyone thought they could be. Let’s take a look at three reasons why the Bolts were able to make such quick work of the Bruins.
3. Goaltending
Sure, this seems like a cheap reason. Usually, the team that gets the better goaltending wins in the postseason. But Andrei Vasilevskiy was exceptional against the Bruins. He flat out stole Game 5 for the Lightning, as he stopped 45 of the 47 shots on goal he faced. For the series, Vasilevskiy had a save percentage of .936%, only allowing 10 goals despite seeing over 150 shots on goal.
It appears the hiatus due to the pandemic was a good thing for Vasilevskiy. He got rested and came into the Stanley Cup Playoffs ready to carry the Lightning. Vasilevskiy’s one of the most gifted goalies in the league and he showed it against the Boston Bruins. It’s easy to overlook what he does because Tampa has so many stars, but he’s vital to their success.
If Vasilevskiy can keep playing this well, the Lightning have a great chance of bringing home the Stanley Cup.
2. Third Line
Last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t have a good third line. When their top two lines struggled against the Columbus Blue Jackets, nobody was there to pick up the slack. That must be why the Lightning made it their goal to create a better third line.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
At the trade deadline, the Lightning made their moves to remake it, trading for Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to join forces with Yanni Gourde. Tampa had to give up two first-round picks to get those two players, but it’s already paying dividends for them.
Combined, the trio picked up eight points, which isn’t too shabby when you consider how good Tampa’s top two lines were. And when the Lightning needed them to step up in Game 2, Coleman delivered with two goals.
They weren’t quite as dominant as they were against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they were still pretty outstanding. When Coleman, Goodrow, and Gourde are on the ice at 5v5 this postseason, the Lightning are outshooting their opponents 82-53, outscoring them 7-2, and out-chancing them 77-42. You know you’re in good shape when your third line is dominating like that.
Could Tampa’s third line score a little bit more? Sure! But they score enough to be effective and they really dominate in all three zones. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s third line is the element they were missing last season.
1. Their Best Players Were Their Best Players
It’s very hard to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when your best players don’t play well. The Tampa Bay Lightning know that well after last year’s debacle. So far in this postseason, the Lightning’s best players have been their best players and this was no exception against the Bruins.
Brayden Point led the way with 8 points. He’s have a marvelous postseason and I think it’s safe to say everyone’s well aware of how darn good he is. Point’s also having a strong postseason as far as his two-way play. The Lightning are outscoring teams 15-7 when he’s on the ice. That’s a good recipe for winning.
Ondrej Palat has always been a bit underrated, but he was brilliant against the Bruins. He provided so many big goals during the series and led the team in goals with five. Nikita Kucherov struggled last year, but he looked like the guy who won the Hart Trophy last season against the Bruins with two goals and seven points in five games.
Victor Hedman was at the top of his game against the Bruins. He showed why he’s always in the Norris Trophy discussion, making an impact throughout the series and scoring four goals, including the series winner in Game 5. And of course, Vasilevskiy was brilliant.
Related Story. Seattle Kraken Mock Expansion Draft. light
Tampa has so many great players. When all of them are clicking, they are a very difficult team to beat. They’ve all been clicking so far this postseason, which makes their depth even more lethal.