In their relentless pursuit of a Stanley Cup three-peat, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers with ease and advanced to their sixth Eastern Conference Finals in eight seasons. After sweeping their in-state rival, the Bolts now have their sights set on overtaking the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes as they aim to continue their streak of dominance.
While the Lightning have a great team with championship experience, it was still stunning to see them sweep away the Presidents' Trophy winner. The Panthers had the most explosive offensive in the NHL in the regular season and couldn't do anything in this four-game sweep.
It has been a full team effort for Tampa Bay in these playoffs, with Andrei Vasilevskiy dominating in goal and Nikita Kucherov racking up 15 points in 11 games. Victor Hedman has 10 points, while Corey Perry, Ross Colton, Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat all have at least four goals for the Lightning this postseason.
With so much going for them and another championship win within their grasp, we'll now discuss three reasons why Tampa Bay has reclaimed its stake as the Stanley Cup favorite in 2022.
*Watch NHL Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Reasons Lightning are 2022 Stanley Cup favorites
1. The Lightning are racking up power-play opportunities and cashing in
With 48 power-play opportunities through the first two rounds, the Bolts have led the league in this category during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Through these opportunities they have capitalized with 11 goals scored, only trailing the St. Louis Blues' 12.
While that conversion percentage isn't anything all that special and is right around their regular-season mark, the sheer number of power-play opportunities has given Tampa Bay an advantage. The Lightning's ability to draw penalties and then convert at a solid rate makes them dangerous. Heading into the Eastern Conference Finals, it can definitely be expected that Tampa Bay will keep this up and continue to thrive in this department.
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been merely impossible to score on
Monday night's impressive shutout win was just a further testament to Andrei Vasilevskiy's greatness. During the Lightning's closeout victory over the Panthers, the two-time All-Star goalie made a stunning 49 saves and only allowed three goals throughout the entire series. On top of that, he was able to stop the last 88 shots on goal he encountered. Remember, this was the NHL's best offense in the regular season.
Despite holding a commanding lead on shots in Game 4, the Panthers still weren't able to get anything past Vasilevskiy. His laser focus, fast glove, quick stick, and stellar foot work were the driving force behind Tampa Bay's strong defensive showing and series-clinching win. After enduring a thrilling seven-game series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vasilevskiy revved up his play in the net and was unstoppable from the get-go against Florida.
3. Tampa Bay has superior talent across the board
Top to bottom, the Lightning possess a great mix of veteran leadership, star power, and depth. With great goaltending plus Kucherov, Hedman, Stamkos, Palat, Colton, and Perry leading the charge, Tampa Bay looks poised to win Lord Stanley's Cup for the third straight year. Their electric play on both ends of the ice has been key for the Lightning, and this became even more evident after they completely manhandled the Panthers in the second round.
This all happened despite the absence of Brayden Point, who's hoping to return at some point in these playoffs after getting injured at the end of the first round.
After the New York Rangers tied up their series with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, this now gives the Lightning plenty of time to rest, recuperate, and prepare for their next victim. Now that they've reached their third straight conference finals, the reigning champs are bound to stay on the winning track.
Follow Us
Subscribe