2011 NHL Playoffs: 3 Reasons why Tampa Bay Lightning will advance into the Stanley Cup Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning is a spontaneous team and can either fire up or go down in a major slump at any moment during the series. It will be exciting to see how they play in Game 7 against Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL) Playoffs Eastern Conference
Finals on Friday, May 27th, at the TD Garden, Boston.
Most teams are predictable and steadily move up in the ranks, but this is not the case with Tampa Bay. It has not been able to penetrate into the playoffs for the past eight years since they won the Stanley Cup back in 2004 against Calgary Flames.
This season, entering the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, they are in the conference finals with high prospects of reaching the last round against Vancouver Canucks.
A change in Lightning’s momentum has been witnessed throughout the postseason.
In the quarterfinals, Lightning recovered against Pittsburgh Penguins and eliminated them after three consecutive wins in a decisive Game 7.
Tampa Bay stunned everyone as they thrashed Washington Capitals, the top seeded Eastern team, with four consecutive wins in the semifinals series.
Currently, against Boston Bruins in the last round, the series has reached a decisive Game 7, after inconsistent performances by both teams.
We will discuss the three main reasons why Tampa Bay Lightning will win Game 7 against Boston Bruins to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Dwayne Roloson
Tampa Bay’s first-choice goalie, Dwayne Roloson, may not be better than Boston’s Tim Thomas, but he can certainly pull off an amazing performance.
The 41-year-old veteran does not expect a long career ahead of him so winning this year’s Stanley Cup before his retirement will most probably be his top priority at the moment.
Having such dedication and passion before entering a game is always a sign of victory.
He played extremely well against Pittsburgh Penguins in the final game and against Washington Capitals throughout the semifinals series.
Tampa Bay will need him back in that brilliant form on Friday in Game 7.
Tampa Bay’s Shooting Trio
Lightning has some of the best attacking players in the league who know how to handle the puck well.
Steven Stamkos, who scored the highest goals in NHL during the regular season, combined with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, makes an unstoppable attacking force.
Stamkos and St. Louis score while Lecavalier opens up smart opportunities, providing assists. This has been Lightning’s impenetrable strategy so far which has worked miracles for it.
Having such players in the team, Tampa Bay should have little to worry about as they meet Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals after overcoming Bruins on Friday.
No Pressure
Unlike Boston, expected to reach the Stanley Cup Finals by majority of the NHL community, Tampa Bay came without prior expectations which means they have little to lose since its success so far is a major achievement itself.
If they can beat Bruins in Game 7 then well and good, but if not, then there are always next year’s playoffs to look forward to.
Speaking from the point of view of a NHL fan, Tampa Bay has certainly been a better team in the series with its sudden ability to score and take control of the game.
It is not a biased suggestion, it is just true observation. We will just have to wait for Game 7 to find out which team emerges victorious but by all means, Lightning would undoubtedly be playing under less pressure than Bruins.
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