Lightning in Tampa Bay
There has been no particular zeal for high scores since the “lightning” at the end of the regular season, when it became clear that they did not see a 2nd line in the Atlantic division. Since mid-March, Florida residents have been chasing the puck half-flat, losing 8 out of 12 finishes. But it should be noted that despite such results with John Cooper’s team, you always have to keep your eyes peeled, because Tampa is a team that is the most scored in the playoffs and it is in cup matches that it shows itself at its best.
Maple leaves from Toronto
Toronto has another solid season, finishing 4th in the East and hosting the Stanley Cup for the seventh straight year. Sheldon Keefe’s team finished the regular season with a road series, successful in every game (Florida, Tampa, Rangers) and of course in high spirits approaching the start of the playoffs. Ahead of the opening home game, it should be noted that the “wilds” are particularly strong on home ice and have entered the top three of the conference on this metric.
Forecast
I do not know yet whether it is worth taking seriously the unsatisfactory finish of Blyskawica, but their recent results make us look towards the hosts. It is known that the regular season cannot be closely compared with cup matches, and Cooper’s players have a lot of experience in such matters, but only 11th place in the East according to the results of away matches looks very poor for her. Toronto is the home team that started the playoffs in great form and became the 5th most reliable team behind in the regular season, during which they never lost a regular season runner-up to last year’s finalist in 3 games.