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Tampa Bay Lightning: Top 5 Can’t Miss Games of 2015-16

By Lauren Burg

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May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers players shake hands after game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Eastern Conference Finals Rematch

Date: November 19, 2015
Opponent: New York Rangers

After sweeping three regular season meetings during 2014-15′ and then taking four closely contested games in the 2015 Eastern Conference finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning will have a challenge waiting when they first square off against the New York Rangers on November 19th, 2015.

Heck, for a pre-Thanksgiving showdown, there likely won’t be much “thanks” going around. Not considering one team received the opportunity to play for the most coveted trophy in all of sports, Lord Stanley’s Cup, while the other was stuck working on their golf swing a few weeks in advance.

Both teams should look eerily similar to the ones who battled for the Prince of Wales Trophy late this past spring as well.

For the Rangers, former Los Angeles Kings forward Jarret Stoll agreed to terms while future Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis called it a career. Considering St. Louis played up front himself, it seems like Stoll would slot into the elder St. Louis’ role. With his defensive awareness and a faceoff winning percentage of over 50 according to the Rangers team site, he could end up being an upgrade when it comes to limiting opponents chances of scoring on the already stingy Henrik Lundqvist.

The Lightning, meanwhile, signed Erik Condra from the Ottawa Senators to replace veteran Brenden Morrow up front and then shifted gears to focus on re-signing captain Steven Stamkos whose current contract expires July 1st, 2016.

While there won’t be a reunion that hasn’t already occurred or an introduction, the matchup on ice should still be top-notch. You still have two elite goaltenders in King Lundqvist and Ben Bishop, along with rising stars on both sides (Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes, Derick Brassard in New York plus Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat for the Bolts).

Defensively, Victor Hedman draws lots of attention and rightly so after his coming out party during the Cup final but Ryan McDonough is easily one of the NHL’s best defenseman.

Oh, and then there’s the fact Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman are all still former Rangers. They got a measure of revenge in 2015, winning seven of the 10 meetings between the two teams. Now we get to see whether their mates on Broadway can settle the score or if this is going to be a runaway in the Lightning’s favor.

If you like high scoring games, this is certainly one to tune into. Last season, the Rangers and Lightning were the two highest scoring teams in the league, averaging over three goals a game according to NHL.com. During their postseason series the two offenses exploded, with each team putting a seven spot on the opponent once.

Pretty much, grab a cold one (or three), take your bathroom breaks early and then be ready to sit until your butts asleep because these two teams are guaranteed to put on a show that has you hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for the next play to be made.

Don’t believe me? Then just watch. I guarantee it will be worth the time and money spent. No ifs, ands or buts.

Next: An Early Test for the Tampa Bay Lightning

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