Wednesday, June 15, 2022

And Then There Were 2: Three-peat Or A New Champ?


 
You knew it would happen, the Tampa Bay lightning would find a way back to the finals. The Lightning are only four wins away from winning their third straight Stanley Cup, a feat that hasn't happened since the New York Islanders won four straight cups from 1980-83. This time they'll have their hands full against the favoured, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have been rested for over a week after sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final. the Lightning took the slightly longer path to the finals by dropping their first two games against the New York Rangers before storming back to win four straight to take the series in six games. 
 There are many intriguing questions and match-ups to look for in the final. 
  • How healthy is goalie, Darcy Kuemper? If he does play, how rusty will he be, since he hasn't played in few weeks and we know Tampa has the best goalie in the league and he has continued to be the best so far in the playoffs. 
  • Will the Lightning's Brayden Point dress for game 1? He hasn't played since the Leafs series and if he is back in form, this could truly give the Lightning the edge.
  • How about the match-up of Kucherov vs MacKinnon? Two of the best forwards in the league, not named McDavid or Draisaitl. Don't forget Stamkos and Landeskog! Is there a chance Nazem Kadri could play after hand surgery?
  • Hedman vs Makar? Two best defensemen in the league? Makar has been amazing this season during the regular season and playoffs and Hedman does his best work in the playoffs.
This has the potential to be a good finals, as the Lightning will face a much tougher opponent than the last two years in the finals, the Montreal Canadians (in 5 games) and the Dallas Stars (in 6). Despite popular opinion, I wouldn't bet against the reining Stanley Cup champs. They've been the underdogs throughout this year's playoffs and I think they'll find a way to win it for the third time in three years. Plus, Corey Perry signed here to win a cup after being a finalist the last two years. Corey's due...ugh!!
Lighting in 6 games

 

Tampa Bay (A3) vs. Colorado (C1)
Wednesday, June 15: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Saturday, June 18: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Monday, June 20: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
Wednesday, June 22: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Friday, June 24: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Sunday, June 26: Avalanche at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Tuesday, June 28: Lightning at Avalanche, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+, ABC, SN, CBC, TVA Sports

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Wednesday, June 01, 2022

Down To The Final Four: Who Will Advance To the Final?


 We are now down to the final four teams left to compete for the 2022 Stanley Cup! The defending Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning will face-off against the New York Rangers in the Eastern final, while the Colorado Avalanche will battle Canada's last hope, the Edmonton Oilers in the West final.
 

  • Lightning vs Rangers: Tampa Bay beat the Florida Panthers in a stunning sweep in 4 games. It seemed to be over before it started, as the top scoring team in the league crumbled and folded so easily the Lightning haven't played since May 23, over a week ago. They should be rested and ready for the Rangers, who just finished a 7 game series for the second time this playoffs. The players to watch in this series will be the Russians, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin. Vasilesvskiy and Shesterkin have been the best goalies so far in the playoffs! For the Rangers to have a chance, Shesterkin has to flawless, because the Rangers can't score a lot of goals. Kusherov is the top scorer in the East and has raised his game further with the loss of Point. So far, Panarin hasn't been a factor, so he has to elevate and contribute more offensively. He's not known as great playoff performer. Compared to the series in the West, this will be a low scoring series and don't be surprised if there are a few shutouts and overtimes.
Lightning in 6 games 

  • Oilers vs Avalanche: This is billed as the McDavid/MacKinnon showdown, but in reality the key will be who's supporting cast will perform better. The Oiler's have no Russians so, Leon Draisaitl who is point-for-point with McD for the playoff scoring lead, will need to continue to be McDavids's wing-man. Evander Kane has 11 goals in 11 games and Zach Hyman surprisingly has 9 goals, so far in the playoffs. For the Avs, Cale Makar has 13 points in 10 games, while Rantanen and Landeskog each are over a point a game pace. Goaltending could be a factor because as usual, Mike Smith has been hot or cold (which he has shown game-to-game) and Darcy Kuemper might not be fully healed from the injury in sustained in the Nashville series. (Full disclosure: I did just watch the game one, 8-6 score-fest, so I'm writing this as if I wrote it before the game) Yes, Kuemper might be out for a while with his mystery ailment, so this could be an even bigger factor...or not? So far, the series has delivered on the promise of a lot of goals. This is the series to watch!

Avalanche in 7 games

 

Conference final schedule:

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