-Charles-LeClaire-USA-TODAY-Sports-9
This series between the Rangers and Lightning has a lot of stars in it that can score goals at will. The playmakers I would bet on the Rangers side are Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad. In 14 games Fox has 5 goals, and 13 assists which is good for 18 points, while Artemi Panarin has scored 4 goals, and gotten 7 assists in 14 games played. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are a couple of other players that have stepped up in the playoffs. In 14 games played Kreider has 8 goals and 3 assists including a two-goal game against the Hurricanes in game seven. Zibanejad has been the Rangers best offensive player in these playoffs so far with 7 goals, and 12 assists which is good for 19 points. Zibanejad is a big reason why the Rangers beat Carolina in seven games and will play a huge role in this series against the Lightning.
The players to look out for the Lightning are Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat, and Ross Colton. In 11 games played Kucherov has scored 4 goals, and 11 assists, and has the most points of any Tampa Bay player with 15. Defenseman Victor Hedman has had a nice postseason so far scoring 2 goals, and 8 assists in 11 games. Ondrej Palat and Ross Colton are a couple of other players that have come up big for the Lightning. Palat has 4 goals and 4 assists in 11 games, while Ross Colton has 5 goals and 3 assists.
Although the Rangers and Lightning both have playmakers all over the ice, I think most of the games will be low scoring because of the goalies in net. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the league while Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is not far behind. In 63 games started during the regular season Vasilevskiy went 39-18-5 with a save percentage of .916, while in the playoffs he is 8-3 with a save percentage of .932. This will be a tough task for the Rangers to handle, but to be the best you have to beat the best. For the Rangers Igor Shesterkin has been phenomenal in the regular season and postseason. In the regular season Shesterkin went 36-13-4 with a save percentage of .935. So far this postseason Shesterkin has gone 8-5 with a save percentage of .928. This series has everything you want in it and If I was betting on this Eastern Conference Finals series these are the players I would bet on. Game one is tonight at 8:00 in the Garden.
