Here is a handy reference guide to the Tampa Bay Lightning that BetOnline customers can use throughout the Stanley Cup Finals.
Lightning – A little background
The Lightning finished in third place in the Central Division, but they had 17 more points than the Canadiens.
They are trying to become just the third franchise in the last thirty years to repeat as a Stanley Cup champion. The others are the Pittsburgh Penguins (who have done it twice) and the Detroit Red Wings.
Tampa Bay’s NHL team has been in existence since the 1992-93 season. They previously won the Stanley Cup in 2004, and they lost in the finals in 2015.
Head coach Jon Cooper has won 384 regular season games in nine NHL seasons. In the playoffs, up to the Finals, he has a 66-45 record (.595).
Lightning — A quick look at the numbers
Tampa Bay placed in the NHL’s top ten in some very key statistical categories. They were eighth in goals, sixth in goals against, ninth in power play percentage and fourth in penalty kill percentage.
The Lightning had the NHL’s five top playoff scorers. In order, they are Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman (tie).
Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh came into the Finals with the second best plus-minus in the NHL playoffs, at +11.
The Lightning were at a +21 goal differential in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Montreal had just a +6.
Lightning – The “power” is key
In the first three playoff rounds, the Tampa Bay power play was successful 37.7% of the time. That is the best out of any NHL team with 18 or more playoff games in the last twenty years.
Brayden Point, the leading goal scorer in the playoffs, tallied seven of his 14 goals on the power play.
Nikita Kucherov was the leading point-scorer in the postseason through the first three playoff rounds. And 17 of his 27 points have come on the power play.
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Lightning – Here’s the point
Brayden Point leads all NHL playoff scorers in power play goals (7). He also leads in even strength goals (7). During the regular season, he had only six power play goals.
Point was shut out of a goal in Game 7 of Tampa Bay’s series against the New York Islanders. But prior to that he had scored one goal in nine consecutive games.
In the metric of “Goals Created,” Point was tops in the league through the first three playoff rounds (9.3). His teammate, Kucherov, was second (8.7). And those two are head and shoulders above the field.
During the regular season, Point was the only Tampa Bay player with more than 20 goals (23). He lead the team with 48 points.
In his NHL career, Point has scored 36 goals in 62 playoff games.
Lightning – The stopper
Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the NHL’s stingiest goaltender during the playoffs. He chalked up a 1.99 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.
Vasilevskiy has also faced more shots (559) and made more saves (523) than any goaltender in the NHL playoffs coming into the Stanley Cup finals.
In the regular season, Vasilevskiy had a 2.21 GAA. He compiled a 31-11 record; other Lightning goalies had a collective record of 5-9.
Vasilevskiy has either led or tied for the NHL lead in wins in each of the last four seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2019.
Lightning – This and that
No one on the Tampa Bay roster had scored an overtime goal in this year’s playoffs, coming into the finals. But three overtime goals had been scored against them – one each by Florida, Carolina and the Islanders.
Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon has racked up 35 penalty minutes. Those were second most in the league through the first three playoff rounds.
All told, the Lightning have averaged 3.22 goals a game in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL
….odds according to BetOnline:
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lightning | -1½ ( +142 ) | 5 ( +105 ) | -197 | ![]() |
Canadiens | +1½ ( -162 ) | 5 ( -125 ) | +169 | |
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