Of the 10 who picked the Lightning, four predicted center Brayden Point will win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So with this series pitting the defending Stanley Cup winners against the team no one expected to get out of the Stanley Cup First Round, it stands to reason that this would be the time for an upset to finish off the playoffs.
The third line of Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman gave the Islanders fits, and Gourde will be extremely fired up to have a chance to play in the Cup Final in his home province of Quebec.
WHY: Since the Columbus Blue Jackets upset them in 2019, the Lightning not only have not lost a playoff series, they have not lost consecutive playoff games.
Tampa Bay has shown throughout the playoffs it can defeat teams a variety of ways, whether it’s a high-scoring game or a defensive battle like the 1-0 victory against the Islanders in Game 7 of the Semifinals.
WHY: After picking against them every round and being wrong, I’m convinced Montreal is a team of destiny and has what it takes to thwart Tampa Bay’s repeat bid.
The Canadiens have been an incredible Cinderella story and close to perfect on the penalty kill, but their clock may strike midnight against the supremely talented and battle-tested Lightning.
WHY: Tampa Bay is a high-skill team, with four lines that can score, a group of top-end defensemen and an elite goalie in Vasilevskiy who plays his best in the biggest games.
Tampa Bay’s bottom six, including centers Gourde and Tyler Johnson, has played a key role and if there’s one goalie capable of going save for save with Price, it’s Vasilevskiy, who has four shutouts this postseason.
The Canadiens defense has been outstanding, and their penalty kill has been especially effective with 30 straight kills since Game 4 against the Maple Leafs in the first round.
It’s also hard to argue that any of the teams Montreal defeated had the talent that Tampa Bay boasts throughout its lineup, including Vasilevskiy, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and the best goalie the Canadiens have faced to this point.
WHY: This team has something magical going on and it will lead to another Stanley Cup championship.
Vasilevskiy has had shutouts in each of the Lightning’s past four series clinchers and will do so again as the Lightning go back to back.
Back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 28 years, Montreal is a playoff-built team of seasoned veterans led by Weber, solid role players and kids who are too young to understand the meaning of the word pressure, all skating in front of the lights-out goaltending of Price.
In 17 playoff games, the Canadiens have faced some of the NHL’s top scorers in forwards Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty of the Vegas Golden Knights, center Auston Matthews and forward Mitchell Marner of the Maple Leafs, and center Mark Scheifele and forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, and held them to three total goals.
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