The only hope of the Stanley Cup returning to Canada rests on the shoulders of the Montreal Canadiens, but they have to get past the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round before even thinking about that.
Judging by the regular season the Lightning may have the edge in the series. In four regular season matchups the Lightning picked up three wins, including a 3-1 victory a few weeks ago on April 1.
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The fact that Tampa Bay made the playoffs despite playing a majority of the season without Steven Stamkos and after trading veteran Martin St. Louis is a feat in itself. Stamkos may be the Lightning’s best player, but their MVP this season was netminder Ben Bishop. His performance could be the difference against Montreal.
Montreal also relies heavily on their goaltending with gold medallist Carey Price. While Price will be under pressure to lead the Canadiens on a long playoff run, he won’t be the only one under the microscope. Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban will be expected to be an offensive sparkplug while also chipping in on the other end of the ice, and trade deadline acquisition Thomas Vanek was brought in to find the back of the net.
The Habs are underdogs on the Bodog Stanley Cup odds at 20/1, but that still puts them ahead of the Lightning who are near the bottom of those futures at 25/1.