We are down to the wire in the East with only two left standing - the Tampa Bay Lightning vs the Washington Capitals. Is it actually the Capitals year? Can Tampa bring home another cup? This is a close series which will be hard to predict, lets take a closer look.
Eastern Conference Finals Matchup
Tampa Bay Lightning
1st in the Atlantic
54-23-5 (113 points)
Head to Head Matchup
Lightning Won 2-1-0
Top Playoff Performers
Washington Capitals
1st in the Metro
49-26-7 (105 points)
Head to Head Matchup
Capitals Lost 1-2-0
Top Playoff Performers
Lightning vs Capitals - Conference Final Preview
Round 2 Recap:
Tampa Bay beat Boston 4 games to 1
The Lighting had only one bad game per round. In this round it was game one when they lost 6-2 with the Bruins. In this game, the Boston top line (Bergeron, Marchand & Pastrnak) dominated (all the players on this line are in the top five in scorers during these playoffs). Brayden Point who was assigned to defend the Bruins top line, had the worst game of his career in game 1. After this game, I am not sure what Tampa Bay coach Cooper said to Point but it worked. Braydan Point turned it around and became the best player for the rest of the series. Point scored goals and shut down the Bruins big top line.
The Bolts number one line also started to find their feet with Kucherov and Stamkos getting on the score sheet. Another big difference in this series was in goal where Tukka Rask had potentially the worst playoff series of his career for Boston while Vasilevskiy improved game on game returning to his top form.
Washington beat Pittsburgh 4 games to 2
This was a hard-fought close series between the Capitals and Penguins. The top players on both sides won games for their respected teams. For the Penguins, Guentzel and Crosby led the way on the ice and are currently the top two in the playoff scoring race. After a slow start in the playoffs, the Capitals big guns made up for lost time. Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov scored the big goals, including the overtime winner by Kuznetsov in game six to ice the series. With both team’s offensive lines doing well, the difference in this series was goaltending. Braden Holtby, since he started game two in the first series, has been the backbone of the Capitals. Holtby’s solid play and key saves are the reasons why Washington knocked out Pittsburgh and ended their three-peat dream.
Eastern Conference Finals Preview
This series between Tampa Bay and Boston will be a long, high scoring and feisty series I predict. This will be a battle between the top lines on both teams who will go head-to–head for the entire series. The Bruins Bergeron line and the Bolts Kucherov line will both have to score but they may end up cancelling each other out. Both teams will look to their second and third lines to take their opportunities to score and thus make the difference in this evenly matched series. This will be another great match-up for neutral fans to watch, the supporters will be on edge in every game. Tampa Bay will win this tight series in 7 games mainly because Vasilevskiy will steal a game or two and the speed of the Lightning will start to expose the ever slowing Zdeno Chara.
Lightning vs Capitals Prediction - Lightning in 6 Games
Why Tampa Bay Win This Series
- 1Brayden Point. If this kid can shut down the best line in hockey he will shut down Ovechkin.
- 2Kucherov and Stamkos are finding their form from the regular season at just the right time.
- 3Andrei Vasilevskiy was solid in goal making the impressive saves when the team needed him. He is starting to show us why he is a Vezina Trophy nominee.
Bet Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs at out top partners.
For American Bettors
Best USA Betting Sites for NHL Round 2
Get a 50% bonus up to $2500.
- 25% Lifetime Bonus Guarantee
- Mobile Betting $50 Free Play
- Live Betting $25 Free Play
