Lightning in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay ranks 6th in the East with 96 points. The Lightnings are among those teams that start to gain momentum near the start of the playoffs, as they are demonstrating now. After a recession and a four-game losing streak, John Cooper’s team recovered and made it through Washington (5-1), as well as two shutouts against Carolina (4-0) and the New York Islanders (5-0).
New York Rangers
Interrupted by the long success of the New Yorkers with the start of the away series. Despite the powerful line of attack, Gerard Gallan’s team suffered a defeat in confrontations with New Jersey (1:2) and Buffalo (2:3 overtime). The negative impression was mitigated by the duel with Washington (5:2), who has not been alone for several months and has let almost every opponent pass a solid pack of pucks.
Forecast
In my humble opinion, you can try to trust the guests in this match. The “cops” slowed down after a shocking episode, and the victory over Washington is indicative, because only the lazy ones don’t beat the “capital”. Tampa is no less a class than the New Yorkers, they have skillful performers who have proven themselves convincingly in previous fights, issuing two shutouts and only 1 puck conceded in 3 games with 14 goals scored, which inspires confidence in Cooper’s team.