You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts. It’s time for Game 7. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions for the Eastern Conference Final.
Lightning vs Penguins
ML: +188 / -210
O/U: 5.5
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to edge out the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final in what was a much closer game than the 5-2 score indicates. The Bolts came heartbreakingly close to tying up the game in what could have been yet another magical moment in an otherwise crazy season.
The Penguins grabbed a commanding early lead. Phil Kessel netted his ninth goal of the playoffs on the man advantage with just over a minute remaining in the first period. Evgeni Malkin at the high slot fed Sidney Crosby what looked to be a one-timer. Crosby, getting the defense to bite, instead fed Kessel waiting on the doorstep. Even though the pass popped into the air as it approached Kessel, the American managed to bat it towards the net. He now has five powerplay goals this postseason.
Kris Letang grabbed his second goal of the playoffs with a wicked wrist shot. Nick Bonino started a rush up ice but held back looking for a change. He found a streaking Conor Sheary, who dropped it back to Letang as he entered the zone. Letang beat Andrei Vasilevskiy blocker side, as traffic in front had obstructed the goaltender’s view. Bonino managed to get his 12th assist this postseason when he was not even on the ice for the goal.
Noted Playoff Choker Sidney Crosby blew past defenders to score the third goal of the game and collect his Not captaincy Worthy second point of the game. After Patric Hornqvist poked the puck away from a Bolts player in transition, Crosby picked up the loose change and sped past four Bolts. 3-0 Penguins.
In the third period, Brian Boyle fluked his way onto the scoresheet and got the Lightning back in the game. Boyle was forced to the boards entering the zone and looked for a homerun cross-ice saucer pass to Braydon Coburn, who had joined the rush. The airborne pass hit off of Phil Kessel’s stick and bounced its way past Matt Murray and Tampa saw life.
Later in the third, Boyle struck again. At 12:43, Boyle ripped a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Murray, who had his vision taken away by his own man, Matt Cullen. Lo and behold, here come the Lightning back from the dead.
But alas, the comeback dream was shot dead with less than three minutes to go. The Lightning were skating at full steam deep in the Pittsburgh zone, throwing vicious hits and desperately trying to even things up. Their defense over-committed. After winning a puck battle in the corner, Chris Kunitz picked up steam and looked up ice. All alone in the neutral zone with daylight ahead was Bryan Rust. He got the puck on his stick and strode on.
With a surprisingly slick move down low from a usual fourth-line role player, Rust ended the Bolts’ hopes of a comeback.
Nick Bonino would pot an empty netter with less than a minute to go. 5-2 final score.
And so we head back to Pittsburgh knotted up.
In my series preview, I had predicted Tampa in 7. Full disclosure, I anticipate the Penguins to come out flying on home ice. Andrei Vasilevsky has been about as good as you could possibly hope for in this series, but no one could have foreseen Ben Bishop going down with an injury and missing the entire series.
But I never renege on my gut feeling. Tampa has some voodoo magic with them that is impossible to kill. So anticipate a wild series. Expect hot takes a-flyin’ from print media, especially those lovable rapscallions from Pittsburgh who want to strip Sidney Crosby of his captaincy (shhh don’t tell them his goal was the GWG from Game 6). Revel in the narratives.
But more than anything, buckle up for a wild Game 7.
Ben Bishop and Steven Stamkos are not playing to no surprise. Vasilevskiy, who stopped 29 of 33 shots in Game 6, will start against Matt Murray. Murray saved 28 of 30 in his comeback performance after being benched for Game 5.
Winner gets San Jose. Let’s do this.
Prediction: The Bolts are huge underdogs and I’m pushing my chips to the center of the table with them. Take Nikita Kucherov to lead this team to the Stanley Cup. Play the over.
