Can the Toronto Maple Leafs Feast on the NHL East?
By Andrew Kogut
Tampa Bay Lightning (61 points)
Despite watching their third-line evaporate in the off-season, Tampa Bay still has some potent producers on this team. Currently six players have scored in double-digits and that doesn’t include star forward Nikita Kucherov’s 5 goals and 17 points in 11 games. Like Carolina, the reigning Cup champs are very well-rounded with few, if any, weaknesses.
Playoff Prediction: Corey Perry doesn’t lazily pretend to avoid a collision and a healthy Toronto Maple Leafs squad gives Tampa fits for most of the series but the superior Lightning win in 6
Florida Panthers (61 points)
The number-one team in the NHL (and also number-one in goal-differential), Florida Panthers sport seven players in double-digit scoring and have four more players with seven or more goals. 8th leading goal-scorer Anton Lundell would be the sole leader in goals for Montreal while fringe Panthers Frank Vatrano and Eetu Luostarinen would be tied for the Montreal lead. This team can flat out score.
Sergei Bobrovsky (.925 SV%) is rejuvenated but will it last? Spencer Knight doesn’t appear ready to take over the reins yet so that’s the only potential flaw I can see.
Checking In on the Pre-Season Predictions. dark. Next
Playoff Prediction: Unfortunately, because the NHL is the NHL, we inexplicably haven’t been able to see a Leafs-Panthers matchup and won’t until the end of March, despite both teams being in the same division. But regular season results are usually moot (right, 2000-2001 Ottawa Senators?) so I will predict a hard-fought seven-game series that comes down to Bobrovsky vs. Campbell. I’ll take a whack at Jack- Leafs in 7