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Bolts By The Bay Mailbag: Who Are The Biggest Threats To The Tampa Bay Lightning In The Eastern Conference

By Kyle Barber |
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May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly presents Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) with the Prince of Wales Trophy after game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to this week’s Bolts By The Bay Mailbag, the place where we take any questions you may have about the Tampa Bay Lightning and give you answers.

Have a question for next week’s BBTB Mailbag? There are many ways to reach us! The easiest way would be by filling out this Google form. You can also get us your questions by commenting on any of our articles or on our Facebook page. Tweeting is also an option. Send your question to either @BoltsByTheBay or my personal account@K_Barber9. With that, let’s get to this week’s question.

Matt asks: Who are the other cup contenders in the Eastern Conference besides the Lightning? Which one posses the biggest threat to the chances of making it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances?

This question is basically a more Eastern Conference friendly version of last week’s question. However, it is still an interesting topic that I would love to go more in-depth on. The Eastern Conference has 12 teams out of 16 in the conference that are going to battle it out for playoff spots during the upcoming season. Each division has six teams that are going to compete for the three spots that are available at the top of each division while the six that are left out will fight for the last two spots to get into the playoffs.

The way I look at it, almost every single one of those teams did something this offseason to improve their respective rosters. Some made a big splash in free agency or via trade while others were able to keep their current rosters intact and not lose any key pieces. These are also the teams that made minor tweaks to their rosters and are locked and loaded for another playoff run. The Tampa Bay Lightning fall in the ladder category.

Looking at each team individually would make this article way too long, but breaking down how each division race will go down followed by the battle for the final two wildcard spots will work just as well.

Next: The Metropolitan Division Race

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May 26, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) battles with New York Rangers right wing Jesper Fast (19) during the third period in game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Last weeks BBTB mailbag started with the Atlantic Division, this week we switch it up and see who will compete for the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division.

The Metropolitan division as I said before has six teams that will compete for the top three sports in the division that automatically send you on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The teams that will be competing will be (in no certain order) the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Philadelphia Flyers. Sorry Devils and Hurricanes fans, maybe next year.

Lets start with the Presidents Trophy winner of the NHL. The New York Rangers had an interesting offseason and probably lost the more pieces from their roster than any of the other teams we will mention later. The loss of Martin St. Louis to retirement, Carl Hagelin in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, and Cam Talbot via trade to the Edmonton Oilers will hurt, but the Rangers are counting on their replacements to help fill those holes. Those names are Antti Raanta, Emerson Etem, and Jarret Stoll. With king Henrik Lundqvist in net they should be fine and find a spot in the top three.

With their first year in Brooklyn about to begin, the Islanders are bringing a talented group of players with them to Barclays Center. The loss of Lubomir Visnovsky on the back end will hurt, but with a young core of John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Ryan Strome leading the charge, the Islanders will still be a formidable foe.

The question is will Jaroslav Halak be able to sustain success between the pipes for the Isles? His 2.43 GAA and .914 SV% were impressive last season. They need him to once again be steller and have backup Thomas Greiss take some of the load so Halak is fresh come playoff time.

Around The Site: Lightning Anthem Singer Sonya Retires From Air Force 

Over in Pittsburgh, we all know about the addition of Phil Kessel that fills a need that the team had on their forward unit. They added Patric Hornqvist last year and he preformed well so they are hoping Kessel continues to score like he did in Toronto to solidify the team’s top six forward unit. Olli Maatta is also coming back and should play more than 20 games like he did last regular season, and Eric Fehr was a very underrated move that will perform very well on the team’s third line.

They have depth on both their forward and defensive units, but can they stay healthy this year? That is their biggest question. Other than as long as Marc-Andre Fleury plays well in net they should easily finish in one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division.

The most interesting team in this division arguably could be the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team made a big splash this offseason when they traded for Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks and signed him to a six-year, $36 million dollar contract. With a solid core of young players including Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen, Saad, and Alexander Wennberg already in place and Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, Columbus could be a scary team if they can stay healthy.

Over in Washington, a team with the best powerplay last season may have just gotten better. With T.J. Oshie coming over from the St. Louis Blues, the loss of Joel Ward to the San Jose Sharks doesn’t seem so bad now. Along with having the best scorer in the game in Alexander Ovechkin and a star in the making in Braden Holtby between the pipes, the Washington Capitals may have the most complete roster in the Metropolitan Division.

A wildcard in this division race will be the Philadelphia Flyers. This team can light the lamp with the best of them on most nights, but their biggest questions come on the back end. Michael Del Zotto was a bright spot on the blue line last year and he was brought back on a two-year, $7.75 million dollar deal. The rest of the group is a question mark along with Steve Mason is net. If those two groups can provide above average play the Flyers could be a sleeper in the division.

Projected Final Metropolitan Division Standings 

1. Y- Washington Capitals (112 points)

2. X- Pittsburgh Pittsburgh (108 points)

3. X- New York Rangers (101 points)

4. New York Islanders (99 points)

5. Columbus Blue Jackets (96 points)

6. Philadelphia Flyers (89 points)

7. New Jersey Devils (77 points)

8. Carolina Hurricanes (66 points)

Next: Over In The Atlantic Division

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Dec 31, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) and Buffalo Sabres left wing Nicolas Deslauriers (44) go after a loose puck during the second period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Back in the Atlantic Division, there are six more talented teams that are eyeing three spots in the division.

Just like the Metropolitan, the Atlantic Division has six teams that are going to battle it out for the top three spots in the division. These teams (again in no certain order) include the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadians, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers. Each team has a solid name in net and a roster built to win now.

Lets start with the Lightning. Nobody scored more goals in the regular season then the Tampa Bay Lightning as the team would light the lamp 259 times. The offense is led by captain Steven Stamkos who actually had an off year by his standards in 2014-15. The new dynamic line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat (also known as the triplets) took the league by storm and dominated in all three zones whenever they were on the ice. The team’s depth scoring was what impressed the most last year with fourth line center Brian Boyle scoring 15 goals.

Victor Hedman quietly has become one of the leagues elite defenders and Anton Stralman showed that he was worth every penny when the team signed his as a free agent last summer. Jason Garrison and Braydon Coburn also performed well together when they were healthy with Andrej Sustr, Matt Carle, and Nikita Nesterov rounding out the team’s defensive group.

Out goes Brenden Morrow and in comes Erik Condra as the team keeps its young core intact. Ben Bishop will once again look to play well in goal while the team looks to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. All expectations are for the Lightning to top the division next season.

However, the friendly folks in both Montreal and Detroit aren’t ready to concede the division just yet. Montreal led the league with the fewest goals allowed last season with 184. When you have the a goaltender in Carey Price that won the Jennings, Vezina, Lindsay, and Hart trophies all in one year then you should have a pretty good team. Though there are some other good players in Montreal like P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty, Carey Price is obviously the main reason the team will enter the 2015-16 season as the defending Atlantic Division champs.

The addition of Jeff Petry at the trade deadline last year was a fantastic move for the Habs and made what was already a solid blue line even better. Is Alexander Semin can morph back into the player he was while in Washington and the team can get scoring from its bottom six forwards then Montreal will contend for the division title once again.

Around The Site: Tampa Bay Lightning Year In Review: J.T. Brown

Up in the Motor City, the Detroit Red Wings did some retooling this offseason and are ready to make another playoff run. After being defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals last season, the Wings went into the offseason knowing that they needed some more firepower for both the forward unit and the blue line as well. The team did just that signing by Brad Richards and Mike Green to add to what was already a talented roster.

Even though Petr Mrazek had his coming out party during that series with the Lightning, Jimmy Howard is still the clear cut number one in motown. With depth at every single position and a farm system loaded with talented young scoring, the Detroit Red Wings will be a formidable foe during the 2015-16 regular season.

You know, that other Florida hockey team is pretty good too. The Florida Panthers have really built a strong roster over the past few seasons and it all starts and ends with Roberto Luongo in net. When he’s on the team can go on long winning streaks and light the world on fire. However, when he isn’t the ice can really tilt in favor of the opposition and cause the team to scramble.

General Manager Dale Tallon made two fantastic moves last season; draft Aaron Ekblad, and trade for Jaromir Jagr. The Willie Mitchell signing wasn’t a bad one either, but drafting the eventual Rookie of the Year in Ekblad and trading for a future Hall of Fame member in Jagr to solidify the forward unit were what really made the team competitive last season. Along with Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Nick Bjugstad (who just got a nice raise this offseason) leading the forward unit alongside Jagr, the Panthers should have no problem putting the puck in the back of the net.

Ekblad, Mitchell, and Brian Campbell lead the team on the blue line while Dmitry Kulikov continues to show improvement ever year. If 36-year-old Roberto Luongo can continue to play well in net, the Cats should push for a playoff spot.

All hell broke loose in Boston during the offseason after the team failed to make it to the NHL postseason. Don Sweeney replaces Peter Chiarelli as the team’s General Manager, and the team obtained three first round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft after dealing Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings and Martin Jones to the San Jose Sharks. The team also traded for forward Brett Connolly during the season in order to bolster their forward unit.

The Boston Bruins organization called this a “retooling” offseason and I completely agree with that. Signing Matt Beleskey, Matt Irwin and Jimmy Hayes to contracts this offseason along with a young core of David Pastrnak, Ryan Spooner, and Torey Krug doesn’t signify to anyone that they are ready to blow up their roster and go into “rebuilding” mode. Whenever you have a goaltender as talented as Tuukka Rask between the pipes you cannot afford to waste a single season while he continues to play at a very high level.

With captain Zdeno Chara now at age 38 and not able to play the amount of minutes he was once able to will hurt them. The loss of Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames (a move I still do not comprehend) will also hurt which causes the Bruins blue line has too many question marks for my liking. It will take a Carey Price like season from Tuukka Rask and scoring from all four lines for the boys from Bean Town to have any shot at spot at the top half of the talented Atlantic Division.

Around The Site: Success Follows Tyler Johnson Home To Spokane 

All this talk about the top teams in the Atlantic Division and it seems like the team from Canada’s capital city doesn’t get the love it deserves. The Ottawa Senators are a very underrated team and will make themselves known in the division and to the entire NHL just like they did a season ago. The team is built around a group of talented forwards in Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, and Mark Stone. There is also that Erik Karlsson guy that acts like a forward sometimes even though he is a defenseman that ranks in the top five in the NHL.

With the Sens being able to get Marc Methot, Andrew Hammond, Stone, and Mika Zibanejad signed and with the team for many years to come, the organization has a roster that will have its talented core around for the long haul. Being able to ship off Robin Lehner, who was the team’s third best goaltender, and David Legwand to Buffalo for a first round pick was a great move by General Manager Bryan Murray, and the tandem of Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond will make the Sens a tough team to score on night in and night out.

Projected Final Atlantic Division Standings

1. Y – Tampa Bay Lightning (114 points)

2. X- Detroit Red Wings (110 points)

3. X- Montreal Canadians (106 points)

4. Florida Panthers (100 points)

5. Ottawa Senators (96 points)

6. Boston Bruins (86 points)

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (75 points)

8. Buffalo Sabres (66 points)

Next: Six Spots Down, Two To Go

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Mar 1, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) makes a save as Florida Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau (11) looks for a rebound in the second period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

With six spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs now filled, the remaining teams will battle it out for the last two Wild Card spots.

Last season, the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins both made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they claimed the two wildcard spots that were up for grabs. This year, a new crop of teams will end up having to battle for these wild card positions due to the strength of their respective divisions.

The way I see it, the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Philadelphia Flyers will be the six teams looking to slide into these last two playoff spots. These spots are usually decided towards the end of the regular season with the final game sometimes being the deciding factor as to whether a team will be playing in the postseason or booking their tee times at the local golf course.

The way these remaining spots will be decided will once again come down to the regular season finally for four of the six teams. The Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins will be competitive, but will fall out of the race as the regular season continues to wind down. That leaves Florida, Columbus, Ottawa, and New York (Islanders) as the teams that will battle it out for the remaining two spots.

The Panthers end the year with games against the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes. If the Cats can win both of those games then they will find themselves in one of those two spots. The Columbus Blue Jackets end their regular season with three games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, and Chicago Blackhawks.

If all goes as predicted, Columbus should go against two of the weaker Atlantic Division opponents and a Hawks team looking to rest its players up for the postseason. The stretch that will make the biggest difference in their playoff future is a brutal four game homes stand between March 8th-17th against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings twice. If the team can do well during that tough stretch then they can find themselves in it at the end.

Around The Site: A Look At New Color Analyst Brian Engblom 

The Ottawa Senators have a tough back end of their schedule, but it will really get tough between March 19th to the final game of the regular season where the team will face all opponents that will have above a .500 record. Some of these teams will be leaders in their divisions while others will be fighting for their playoff lives. A disadvantage for Ottawa? Many of these teams are from the Western Conference so even defeating these teams will not allow them to gain any ground if their competitors win.

Same is true for the New York Islanders who have a tough back end of the schedule, but they will face all Eastern Conference teams. That includes many teams that will be in the wildcard race as well. If the Isles can take care of business then they are in.

Final Projected Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings

1. X- Florida Panthers (100 points)

2. X- New York Islanders (99 points)

3. Columbus Blue Jackets (96 points)

4.Ottawa Senators (95 points)

5. Philadelphia Flyers (89 point)

6. Boston Bruins (86 points)

Next: So, The Toughest Lightning Opponent Will Be...

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Dec 13, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Brian Boyle (11) and Washington Capitals right wing

Troy Brouwer

(20) battle for the puck in the third period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, the Washington Capitals may be the team that stands in the way of the Tampa Bay Lightning making it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances.

As the 2015-16 Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off, the Tampa Bay Lightning are slotted to play the Florida Panthers in the first round. Florida will not be an easy test, but the Bolts should be able to get by in five games. Detroit will defeat Montreal in seven games, Washington will defeat the Islanders in 6, and the Penguins will take out the Rangers in 7 games.

You next have the Lightning taking on the Detroit Red Wings in the second round with Washington matching up against Pittsburgh. Just like last year, the Lightning and Red Wings will go back and forth while taking the series to seven games before the Lightning come out in front while the Capitals take the series in six games against the Sidney Crosby led Pittsburgh Penguins.

That sets up the match up of Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals against Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning. A series that we have talked about in previous articles that truly has a chance to happen. It would be a fantastic back and forth series with two teams that have offensive fire power as well as goaltenders that rank among the leagues elite.

What will make the Capitals such a tough opponent? Their ability to score on the powerplay is second to none and will make the Tampa Bay Lightning penalty kill need to work its tail off. A powerplay unit of Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, and John Carlson will once again help the team rank as the top powerplay in the NHL during the regular season, and the Lightning must stay out of the box in order to have a chance.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will once again be one of the best teams in the NHL during the 2015-16 season. Their ability to score with all four forward lines as well as defend well is a combination few teams are able to match. However, there are teams that will look to dethrone the defending Eastern Conference champions, and the Washington Capitals will be their biggest threat.

Enjoy this weeks BBTB mailbag? Click here to read about last weeks question. Remember to submit your questions for future mailbag articles on our Google form or via Facebook and Twitter!

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning: A Look At New Color Analyst Brian Engblom

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