The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was predictable and mostly unspectacular, but the NHL stumbled into an embarrassment of riches with marquee matchups galore in Round 2. Example No. 4: Lightning vs. Bruins, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference meeting head-to-head in what should be a long, thrilling series.
Like the Jets and Predators out West, these Stanley Cup contenders carry the unfortunate burden (challenge?) of having to beat one another to a pulp before their playoff really have a chance to get off the ground. Boston already experienced this in its a seven-game slugfest with Toronto; Tampa had it easier as the conference's No. 1 overall seed, handily beating the happy-to-be-here Devils in five games.
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By the time this series opens Saturday, the Lightning will have enjoyed a full week of rest. No team was a bigger cheerleader for the Maple Leafs to extend the first round to its limits, and the Bruins now face a quick turnaround to prepare for a fully-charged Tampa offense.
Boston, while opening as an underdog, actually had Tampa's number head to head in the regular season, taking three of four. The Lightning blew out the Bruins in their final meeting when the division title was on the line, but Bruce Cassidy knows there are cracks and how to exploit them.
Sporting News' NHL experts Brandon Schlager, Evan Sporer and Jim Cerny make their series predictions below.
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Tampa Bay Lightning (-145) vs. Boston Bruins (+125): Schedule, picks, predictions
Game 1: April 28 at Tampa Bay, 3 p.m. (NBC, Sportsnet, fuboTV)
Game 2: April 30 at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. (NBC, CBC, fuboTV)
Game 3: May 2 at Boston, 7 p.m. (NBC, CBC, fuboTV)
Game 4: May 4 at Boston, 7 p.m. (NBC, CBC, fuboTV)
*Game 5: May 6 at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Game 6: May 8 at Boston, TBD
*Game 7: May 10 at Tampa Bay, TBD
(All times Eastern; * If necessary)
Regular season meetings: BOS, 3-2 (11/29); BOS, 3-0 (3/17); BOS, 4-2 (3/29); TB, 4-0 (4/3)
Brandon Schlager (7-1 in first round): For all the attention Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy devoted to Auston Matthews and shutting down the Leafs' superstar in the first round, they're going to have to double those efforts in this series. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov pack a one-two punch unlike any in the league. Neither Stamkos nor Kucherov scored a goal against the Bruins in the regular season, but while the Boston's top defense unit kept Matthews in check with one goal in seven games, it's going to take a group effort to keep Tampa's top duo off the scoresheet this time. It starts in net with Tuukka Rask, who finished the first round with an .899 save percentage. Regardless of how you feel about how much fault Rask deserves, he can ill afford another up-and-down series. On the other end, it appears Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy shook off any late-season fatigue with a .941 save percentage in Round 1. In a series with no shortage of star power, young depth talent and a formidable defense on either side, we'll be talking about one of these goalies stealing a game or two as the difference when the dust settles. I'm sticking with my pre-playoff pick: Lightning move on to the Eastern Conference finals.
Lightning in 6 games
Evan Sporer (6-2): These are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, not just record-wise, but really in terms of offering the complete package from top to bottom. The Bruins and Maple Leafs just finished a close, high-entertainment series, and it’s hard to argue the Tampa roster doesn’t have a bit more than Toronto at this point.
Where the Bruins' top line feasted on their matchups against the Maple Leafs, Anton Stralman and Ryan McDonagh will be a much stiffer challenge for the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Jon Cooper worked hard to deploy two defensemen (and Brayden Point’s line) against Taylor Hall in the first round, and had great success in getting those skaters out there (and they did a great job against the Devils superstar).
I think that plays a monumental role in the second round. The Lightning won’t be able to completely shut down the Bergeron line, but they might be able to slow them down, especially getting last change the majority of these games with home-ice advantage. And when the series in Tampa, look for Cooper to also get their top line of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and J.T. Miller shifts away from Bergeron and co. Stralman is really fantastic at spacing the zone, and does so many little things with his stick and positioning that go unnoticed, but really frustrate opposing forwards. And this is where the acquisition of McDonagh becomes so vital, giving the Lightning three all-star caliber defensemen against a deep offensive team. Was also very impressed by rookie blueliner Mikhail Sergachev in Round 1.
Lightning in 6 games
Jim Cerny (6-2): It took until Game 82 before the Lightning simultaneously clinched the top spot in the Atlantic Division and first overall in the Eastern Conference, finishing with 113 points — one more than the Bruins. Now, these teams meet in the second round of the playoffs to determine which will advance to the conference final in the East. The Lightning was the better team in the season’s first half, the Bruins better in the second half, and they arrive here in Round 2 with similarly deep lineups, good health, high-powered offenses and the ability to grind as well as play with flair. In short, this should be a heckuva series.
The Lightning had a far easier go of it in the first round — besting the Devils in five close, but not taxing, games — than the Bruins, who were pushed to the seven-game max by the Maple Leafs, and who had to rally with a monstrous third period in Game 7 in order to advance. As such, the Lightning will be the better-rested team to start the series and need to jump on the Bruins right away. Boston goalie Tuukka Rask had a shaky first round and the Lightning — led by 100-point producer Nikita Kucherov, who had 10 points in the Devils series — would love to sow the seeds of doubt in Rask’s mind with a strong offensive start to the series. At the other end of the ice, Vasilevskiy is on top of his game, posting a 2.01 GAA and .941 save percentage in Round 1. This is a major advantage for Tampa Bay going in.
Boston did score 28 goals over its seven-game first-round series, and its top line of Pastrnak-Bergeron-Marchand combined for 30 points. Both teams received solid depth scoring in the first round – Jake DeBrusk with five goals for Boston; Alex Killorn with four for Tampa Bay – and both were very good on the power play, meaning there should be chances galore, making for an extremely fun series to watch.
Lightning in 6 games
MORE NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS:
Penguins-Capitals | Golden Knights-Sharks | Predators-Jets
