NHL
Mike Schultz
May 12, 2016

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds: 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins are now halfway there on the road to the Stanley Cup, and the match up between these two teams, arguably two of the fastest teams in the league, should be a nail-biter. Tampa has had more time to rest, and they may have faced what many consider “easier” competition in the first two rounds, but this is the team that went to the final last year, and they won’t make it easy on the Penguins. The Penguins look unstoppable right now, and eliminating the President’s Trophy winners in six games will have given them the kind of winning confidence they’ll need to make it to the final.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Series Winner Odds:Penguins -203
Home Team Advantage: Tampa Bay Lightning

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2013, and then, they were handily swept by the Boston Bruins. Before they made some huge coaching changes in December, they did not look like a team that would be the odds favorite to win the 2016 Stanley Cup. Things change. If the Pens continue to play like they have so far – they are the top offensive team in these playoffs, averaging 3.36 goals per game – then it is difficult to imagine them not eliminating the Lightning from Cup contention.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning actually swept the Penguins through their regular season games. Steven Stamkos is still missing from their roster, but many other Lightning players have stepped up and are responsible for the Lightning’s success in the first two rounds of these playoffs. Defenseman Victor Hedman has been remarkable for the team, and Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov have made up for the loss of Stamkos, combining for 25 points. The real star for the Tampa club has been in the net, where Ben Bishop has been at the top of his game. That said, the Lightning have really only succeeded in eliminating two of the more beatable teams in the playoffs, and now they’ll face the Pens. Without Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman, they are missing two of the biggest guns in their arsenal, which against an elite group, could spell the end of their run.