If they advance to the second round, Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have already clinched a berth in the post-season, will face the winner of that series. That means two of the NHL’s best three teams will be gone by the time the conference finals roll around. Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning escaped the Atlantic and faced off against the Washington Capitals in last year’s Eastern Conference final. But as the Leafs faced the Lightning on Monday night, few outside of Stamkos were complaining too loudly, though Leafs centre John Tavares did call the current format strange. At the same time, if you want to get to the ultimate prize, you’ve got to beat some really good teams — the best teams in the league, the best players in the world.

Source: thestar March 11, 2019 20:03 UTC