The Tampa Bay Lightning are four wins away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals after sweeping the Florida Panthers in Round 2. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers went the distance, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. The two teams will meet in the Eastern Conference Final with a chance to win the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Quick Facts
- The Rangers swept the season series 3-0
- Tampa Bay will be making their sixth Eastern Conference Final appearance in eight years
- The last time the two teams met in the playoffs was the 2015 Eastern Conference Final; Tampa Bay won the series 4-3
- Mika Zibanejad has the most points as a Ranger in a single postseason since Wayne Gretzky in the 1996-97 Playoffs
- Andrei Vasilevskiy leads all goalies with eight or more games played in save percentage
Tampa Bay Lightning
Depth Scoring? Check. Goaltending? Check.
The Lightning’s Round 2 x-factor was Andrei Vasilevskiy, and he served as just that. Vasilevskiy improved from a .897 save percentage in Round 1 to a .981 percentage in Round 2. Against Florida’s elite offense in Round 2, the “Big Cat” allowed only three goals. To say the least, Vasilevskiy was pivotal in the Battle of Florida.
The Lightning have been 4-2 on the road in the playoffs, and 4-1 at home. Winning home or away has not been a problem. It seems like there are no longer any internal factors to overcome after a Round 2 clinic. However, the New York Rangers will present some unique problems.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers finished 52-24-6 for 110 points and a second place finish in the Metropolitan division. The Blue-shirts went back and forth in a seven game round one series against Pittsburgh. After being down 3-1, New York won three straight to win the series. In round two, the Rangers lost their first three away, but won their three home games. Although the home teams were winning all the matchups, New York won game seven in Raleigh. Having played fourteen games, with one days rest in between almost all of the games, the Rangers will be worn down. But one man has carried New York all season; who is he? And why is he the x-factor?
X-Factor- Igor Shesterkin
Igor Shesterkin, the Hart Trophy finalist, led the NHL in save percentage and goals against average this season. Most importantly, however, is that he is the New York Rangers goalie. Tampa Bay has proved all they have needed to prove. They have ironed out any problems in a stellar display of hockey in Round 2. There is nothing more for Tampa Bay to fix. All that is required out of them is consistency, and for Shesterkin to not play out of his mind.
On the other hand, New York needs exactly that. The Russian goaltender has held a .928 save percentage through the first two rounds, with a couple of down games here and there. With the Lightning shot output, and Shesterkin’s save percentage, he would allow 2.2 goals against per game. Tampa Bay has scored an average of 3.27 goals a game this postseason. It is necessary that Shesterkin continues playing at a high level for the Rangers to win the series.
If Shesterkin has a down series, Tampa Bay will take the series with ease. However, if Shesterkin stands on his head for the team, New York will take the series.
Authors Prediction
Tampa Bay’s playoff experience, rest, and ability to sneak goals in will propel them to win. Tampa Bay will win the series in six games.