Pittsburgh Penguins (8-3)
The Penguins were supported in their last series by a number of player who were not named Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. While some saw this as a cause for concern, it is easy to forget how well the Capitals defense played.
Tampa Bay may have the speed to match Pittsburgh, but its defense going against Crosby, Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Kris Letang, Nick Bonino and so on will struggle in Game 1. The back-end of Tampa Bay’s team is agile, but are not as skillful as some Penguins D-men.
The Penguins will need to stay conditioned and play as fast as they did against the Capitals. The Lightning are not as physical of a team, and Pittsburgh must take advantage of this.
Tampa Bay Lightning (8-2)
The Tampa Bay Lightning have won four straight entering Game 1 tonight, but have not played since Sunday. Although having this time off to recharge is good, too much time can make a team complacent.
This time off gave the Lightning a chance for players like Steven Stamkos to recover after having surgery to remove a blood cot from above his right collarbone. He said “There’s really no set timeline,” although Tampa Bay’s head coach and the rest of the team is optimistic about his return.
Stamkos may be a big thorn in the Penguins side if he is able to play through this whole series. Between him and Tyler Johnson, the offense will be what can propel this team to the Stanley Cup Finals. The only question is if their defense can contain Pittsburgh.
Prediction
“This will be a different element. These guys will play much more like us. They’ll try to out-skate us and out-skill us,” Ben Lovejoy said following practice yesterday. The defensemen is very accurate in his statement, but Pittsburgh will be challenged in a different way by Tampa Bay
The Penguins have no had as much time off since their last game and that will be a major factor for how each team will come out of the gates. Pittsburgh wins Game 1 4-2.
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
When: Friday, May 13 @ 8 p.m.
Watch: NBCS, TVA, CBC
