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Tampa, team to beat in East?


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Is Tampa Bay good enough to go to the Finals?

 

After shocking the NHL last season, Tampa Bay continues to stay hot even after being swept in the post-season by the Montreal Canadians. The Lightning veteran, Valtteri Filppula, stepped up as a force for Tampa last season when captain Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg. Two rookies powered their way into the lineup and lite the lamp on repeated nights. Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, both runners up for the Calder Trophy won by Avalanche rookie sensation Nathan MacKinnon. The block buster deal that saw Lightning captain Martin St. Louis head to the New York Rangers for their captain Ryan Callahan. Although Callahan had a hard time finding his groove for Tampa Bay in the remaining 20 games of the season. A young goalie that finally proved he was worth all the hype surrounding him, Ben Bishop was runner up to Tuukka Rask and Semyon Varlamov for the Vezina Trophy.

In the west coast, the Colorado Avalanche were the mirror image of Tampa Bay. In 2014-15, Colorado has fallen off the radar, while Tampa Bay continues their regular season terror. In Tampa, Ben Bishop has continued to play like he wants to win this year’s Vezina, or much more, one, two, three and then four playoff series. Palat and Johnson are top 6 in scoring for the Lightning along-side their captain Steven Stamkos, who has returned quite healthy and ready to make a statement. Ryan Callahan has found a groove with his new team scoring 21 points (11g, 10a) though 4 of those 11 goals have come against his former club in two games.

 

It was Tampa’s goal to keep the club they had coming into the 2014-15 season, they made a point to sign Ryan Callahan and keep him. Ben Bishop recovered from his injury suffered late in the season that cost him a playoff appearance. Palat and Johnson are proving they were not a one-time fluke and have no need to be sent to the AHL.  So the big question for Tampa Bay is, Can Tampa Bay keep winning? Will they slow down or be stopped?

Personally I feel like Tampa Bay is the strongest all around team in the eastern conference. Pittsburgh is in the hunt, but their goaltending in the playoffs has failed since their last cup win. It is going on to prove that Crosby and Malkin cannot carry the team in the post-season. Montreal is a top contender, but their scoring ability is far lower than other teams with multiple proven snipers and playmakers. The only other threat that I see is the New York Islanders, but the Islanders sit where Tampa Bay sat last season, I cannot see the Islanders upset a very solid Tampa Bay team.

 

Hockey is back in Florida and it is no thanks to Aaron Ekblad and the Panthers. Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman is making a winning motto out of the Lightning and he is certainly not done and will not stop until Tampa wins a cup.

 

Is Tampa good enough to go to the Finals? You bet.

 

tampabaylightning.jpg

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  It could be Tampa, our boy Yzerman has done a hell of a job.

 

  They hung in there and are still in first place even with Hedman missing most of the first quarter in a dead heat with the Habs and Wings. Now with one of the most exciting d-men in the game back in the lineup they look good moving forward.

 

  The East is so wide open with Parity, and a hot goalie in the postseason is worth their weight in gold. Bishop could be the X factor in not only the division but in the postseason as well. Personally, I still have the Penguins higher because of Sid and the Rangers still have Lundqvist but you never know.

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I think so yes.

 

Stamkos gets a lot of press and his line puts up the points and is easily the best player.

 

That being said, the line of Kucherov/Johnson/Palat is the real 1A first line on that team. Their work ethic and puck possession is incredible and they are just killing it at even strength. Especially Johnson. The man is fast and shifty as heck and shoots and passes equally.

 

Beyond those two First lines, they have great depth compared to the competition. Killorn, Boyle, Namestnikov, Connelly and others contributing.

 

On defense, they have Hedman. A true Norris candidate. Stralman, a great defenseman all around. Garrison with his cannon of a shot. And then others who play well. Sustr, Gudas, Carle.

 

And of course, an important Vezina caliber goalie.

 

IMO, Tampa is the team to beat.

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Boy...no one on this site would like the Lightning to be "the team to beat" more than me.

 

As a person who follows the team regularly, though, I still have some doubts whether the Bolts are set n ready to win the East and go on to the Finals against the Western Champion.

Why?

 

The defense.

 

It is quite improved from years past, but watching this team on just about every game of their schedule, I notice that the overall defense, while being quite skilled, fast, and with decent size, STILL plays a bit too soft for my liking on a regular basis.

 

What that means is, the forwards will get a lead, Ben Bishop will stand on his head....only to be done in on some nights by 'soft checking', profuse stick checking that any good sized forward will plow through, or simply play on their heels when they THINK they have a big enough lead.... I.E. they let up at times, and the other team is more than happy to press the issue and go for a tie score or grab the lead themselves.

So the lead disappears, the team has a lapse in confidence, and Ben Bishop is left hung out to dry more times than he should.

 

There is also the matter of beating the teams which I personally think are the ones to beat going into this season (and the two that have been "it" the last couple seasons) and those two would be the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

Bolts haven't played either one of those teams yet this season, so I am anxious to see how the team stacks up against them this year, but last season, the Bolts simply could not beat either......and until they prove that they can, and do it convincingly, I just can't put even my own beloved Lightning ahead of Boston or Pittsburgh as "the team to beat in the East".

 

Also, in general, the Bolts seem to have some trouble with teams who take a VERY aggressive approach (finishing checks, playing hard along the walls, crashing the net), and again, that is probably due to the soft checking I mentioned earlier.

And really, that type of aggressive hockey is the kind that is usually played in the post season.

 

I think the Lightning do have the personnel overall to possibly be the team to beat, but until they play night in, night out like a championship caliber team, and not 'playing down' to competition, be in awe of past established Eastern powerhouses, and just generally come to rink with the idea that THEY will dictate the pace not only on the forward lines, but defensively as well, then I think they still have some growing to do as an elite level team.

 

Fortunately, the team overall is still quite young, learning all the time, and have good leadership both on the ice, behind the bench, and in the front office to try and help solve whatever issues need to be solved for this team to be a regular Cup contender.

Maybe my mind will be changed about the Bolts being the new Beasts of the Easts after a few successful tilts against the likes of Boston and Pittsburgh a bit later on this year...

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I think Tampa Bay is good enough to lead the East headed into the playoffs, but I don't see them coming out of the East. One glaring reason is the health of Bishop. When he's in, he's one of the hardest goalies to beat. However, as we saw last season and very recently this season, if Bishop goes down for an extended period of time, the Lightning have shown that it is hard for them to win. Another reason I can't see it just yet is their road game, At home, the Bolts have a goal differential of +27, scoring 69 goals as the home team. On the road, their offense is about the same, generating 68 goals this year, but surrendering 64 as opposed to only 42 at home. I think this is such an issue because the home team has last change and can put their top lines out against the Lightning's bottom 6. These matchups are crucial in the playoffs.

With Radko Gudas out the rest of the regular season (and possibly a couple playoff games) I expect this number to climb. Of course, these road woes might not matter if they manage to secure home ice, which they should lock up, but if they want a deep playoff run, they'll need to tighten up on the road.

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They didn't fare so well against a depleted Penguins lineup last week. The Lightning are in the running, but I don't put them ahead of the Penguins or Rangers yet. The Bruins have slid down the ranks, but I'm not sure they're out of the race yet either.

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@

 

I think the Rangers will represent the East again in the Stanley Cup.

Really? @hf101 What brings you to this? 

 

I think Tampa is good enough, but I see a second round or conference final departure. Ben Bishop was not in net for them during last seasons playoffs, his lack of winning and losing in the playoffs could be the key to their departure. They have a winner in Mitchell from the Kings the last 2 of 3, but I do not feel like as a core Tampa has enough winning experience. Although, anything in the NHL is possible, who knows maybe Nashville wins it all? lol

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Really? @hf101 What brings you to this? 

 

I think Tampa is good enough, but I see a second round or conference final departure. Ben Bishop was not in net for them during last seasons playoffs, his lack of winning and losing in the playoffs could be the key to their departure. They have a winner in Mitchell from the Kings the last 2 of 3, but I do not feel like as a core Tampa has enough winning experience. Although, anything in the NHL is possible, who knows maybe Nashville wins it all?  T

 

True, but the Rangers are just better.  I'll predict now that the Rangers win the Stanley Cup this year.  They are tearing it up in the West with their speed and defensive play.  13-1-0 in their last 14 games.  

I think the Lightning will be in the semifinals of the East and maybe even the Finals - but the Rangers will prevail.

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I HATE calling any team an "easy" team, but the rest of this month, the schedule for the Lightning isn't really rife with limit testing teams for TB.

 

Playing Boston on a tail end of a back to back after facing Philly the night before will be tough for the Bolts, but outside of that, they are mostly at home, and have teams like Edmonton, Colorado, and the still hurting Blue Jackets come to town.

There is a road game against the Canes in that mix as well.

 

Vancouver and Detroit (in Tampa) should provide some good competition as well.

 

But overall, I believe the Bolts should do reasonably well the rest of this month....provided they take NO teams for granted.

 

Now, Ferbruary.

THAT is the month where I believe we will see whether this team has the chops to be a serious Stanley Cup contender.

Why?

 

Well, for one thing, the team will be mostly on the road for the month, AND the entire flippin month is against Western Conference teams.

This will show three things:

1) How well the team manages extended road trips (especially is cities as far apart as found in the West)

2) How well the team stacks up against many proven Western Conference opponents

3) How focused the team can stay knowing they are NOT playing those 4 pt swing Eastern games, but still understanding wins are wins, and beating good Western teams is a measuring stick for ANY Eastern team that fancies themselves a legit Cup contender.

 

Have a look at the Bolts February:

 

Feb 3 -- @ St. Louis

Feb 5 -- @ Dallas

Feb 7-- home vs Los Angeles

Feb 8-- home vs Anaheim

Feb 10 - @ Nashville

Feb 12- home vs St. Louis

Feb 15- @ San Jose

Feb 16- @ Los Angeles

Feb 18- @ Anaheim

Feb 21- @ Arizona

Feb 22- @ Colorado

Feb 27- home vs Chicago

 

If the Bolts can finish the rest of January in fine fashion (my expectation) THEN come back with a winning February after facing THAT set of games (gonna be tough!), THEN I'd be willing to call the Lightning the 'Team to Beat' in the East.

 

High expectations? Tough on my own team from a fan's viewpoint?

You bet.

But then, past and current Eastern powerhouses such as the old Devils, the Pens, the Bruins, the Wings (yea, yea, they were West before, but WORK with me here...lol), would have the same expectations from their fanbase, and the team would of themselves as well.

 

If the Bolts want to be in that group, they need to as well.

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  • 5 months later...

Thread **bump**

 

To give props for those who really DID think the Bolts were the team to beat in the East.....Eastern Conference Champs, and just short of the Cup itself.

 

I was one who thought my own team WOULDN'T be the 'team to beat in the East'...but I was gladly proven wrong.

The deficiencies I saw in my own team were slowly taken care (if not completely fixed) and the team simply 'grew and matured' as the season went along and even during the playoffs.

 

One of the reasons I like sites like this (complete NHL fans...not just team specific fanboys or fangirls), is that sometimes things are pointed out that I can't even see in my own team.

 

Again, for those that saw the good in what the Bolts brought to the table (and that it indeed was good enough for the Finals), this Lightning fan salutes you! 

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@TropicalFruitGirl26

I have to admit, I DID NOT see them as the team to beat, I sincerely thought the Wings would beat them (and they had one of the best series in the entire postseason).

 

 I really thought that your question was are the Bolts the team to beat for next year and I would have to say absolutely YES.

A caveat on that is how serious the rumor is that Stamkos is unhappy and may want out of Tampa over his use by Cooper. These things usually do not mean anything just the press looking for something to stir things up. But in Tampa, just a year ago MSL was unhappy and was moved out.

 

 I do not think he will be moved, I doubt he wants to be. don Cherry, fool that he is seems to be the source of this and it probably will not amount to much.

 

 So no, I didn't see them representing the East (sorry) but I do for next year. Until someone knocks them off their perch they rule the East. Congrats on a great year.

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@TropicalFruitGirl26

I have to admit, I DID NOT see them as the team to beat, I sincerely thought the Wings would beat them (and they had one of the best series in the entire postseason).

 

 I really thought that your question was are the Bolts the team to beat for next year and I would have to say absolutely YES.

A caveat on that is how serious the rumor is that Stamkos is unhappy and may want out of Tampa over his use by Cooper. These things usually do not mean anything just the press looking for something to stir things up. But in Tampa, just a year ago MSL was unhappy and was moved out.

 

 I do not think he will be moved, I doubt he wants to be. don Cherry, fool that he is seems to be the source of this and it probably will not amount to much.

 

 So no, I didn't see them representing the East (sorry) but I do for next year. Until someone knocks them off their perch they rule the East. Congrats on a great year.

 

Well, Yave, like I said in my post....I DIDN'T even consider them the team to beat...mostly based on what I perceived as a 'soft defense'....that is to say, I didn't think they took the body enough and relied way too much on stick checking.

 

As the season wore on, however, I began to see that the defense really CAN play physical when they needed to....and crazy as it sounds for Flyer fans, it really started, IMO, once Braydon Coburn got traded for.

Not saying Coburn is the be-all when it comes to checking, but the man really does a good job at it and it seems the other D-men from Stralman and Hedman, down to Sustr, Barberio, and Nesterov picked up on that and went with it.

 

Then the forwards got into the act as well.

All while sticking to their identity as a 'speed and skating' team first.

 

It was almost like a literal transformation as games got more important late in the season and into the post season.

 

Hopefully, any and all lessons learned from this run can be applied once again for next year.

 

As for the Stamkos thing, well, I've looked around the net on that, and honestly, other than Don Cherry, a bunch of Leaf fans trying to stir the pot, and a bunch of Bolts haters (yep...apparently getting to the Finals nets you some 'haters' along the way...haha), all saying that based on the thinnest of premises.

 

You know as well as ANY hardcore fan, that the WORST time to gauge any player's mindset is right after he go done losing a big series....and they don't come any bigger than the Stanley Cup.

So whatever Stammer is feeling or not feeling, I am sure things will get hammered out in the off season and into the following year.

 

Funny how when the Bolts were looked at as just another playoff team all I ever heard was people trying to discredit Stamkos, saying he was not really worthy of a superstar label, that he can stay in TB because just getting to the playoffs is about as good as that team is...and HE wasn't good enough to elevate the team like a Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Getzlaf or Toews...yadda, yadda, vomit inducing, etc, etc...

 

NOW all of a sudden, the Bolts fall just short, people see what the team is capable of now and  moving forward, Stammer has a contract due, and people want to talk about how he is better off elsewhere (i.e. Toronto if you believe the Leaf rubes), and that the Bolts or the coaching staff don't know how to manage a star player....MORE vomit inducing etc, etc, etc's....

 

We will see.

Stamkos has said plenty of times he likes where he is, he is comfortable where he is, he likes the 'open door' policy of Jon Cooper and his administration and all that good stuff.

If there really is something to him being unhappy and there is no changing his mind, then I trust Stevie Y to get the very best return he can for him....as I am sure Yzerman will know well before the Stamkos contract is up what is his state of mind....and Yzerman will NOT be letting him walk for nothing.

 

But again, that is all heresay...Cup just got done, like you said, fans and media need stuff to talk about...and when you throw in a blowhard like Cherry and compound it with a fanbase (Toronto) that will do anything, AND I MEAN ANYTHING, to deflect from the fact that they have been a miserable mess for the better part  of the last 15 years or so, well, you get crazy, mostly unfounded stories like this.

 

Let's let the team and Stamkos himself come down from that disappointment of losing on the big stage....let he, the coaching staff, the front office, and ownership reflect and then they can go from there.

 

I have a feeling once Stammer gets back to his normal self, that he too will see that the Bolts very well COULD be the "team to beat", not only next season, but for quite a few more after that, given the nucleus of the team, and he would be a huge part of that.............OR, he can decide to go to Toronto and waste the better part of his late 20's and early 30's in the hopes that the Leafs get things right..... ;)

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