Matt Ross: Battle for Florida: RD1, GM5

Maybe the Panthers should start playing man-on-man coverage. There are too many Tampa players left open in the offensive zone. Bobrosky needs to find his game again.

Slam the door shut tonight!
No mercy.
Go Panthers!

After winning three out of four they should change up their whole plan of attack

Mad,mad, mad hatter

Hoping to extend the series at least to 6. Also are we ever gonna get a new Lightning blogger

Panthers take game 5 if they stay out of the Box.

Hoping to extend the series at least to 6. Also are we ever gonna get a new Lightning blogger
- jvar17

Ek must resent the Lightning.

I've been living in the Leafs threads, making a general nuisance of myself.

Feels like a risky challenge here…

WOOOO!!!

Ek must resent the Lightning.

I've been living in the Leafs threads, making a general nuisance of myself.
- GalacticStone

LOL!

Nice to have you back on our page, GalacticStone. Always love these series for a chance to chat with you and get your insight 👍

Woohoo!

Woohoo!
- Matt Ross

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u-_kG8qlQ1U

Congrats on the series win. The Cats deserved it. I wasn't surprised by the result and my bracket is still intact. Sure, I would have loved to see the Lightning pull off the upset, but it was clear from the first couple of weeks after Vasi came back that he was not 100%. The Lightning rely too heavily on him to bail them out and he hasn't been there this season. I don't know if he will ever return to pre-surgery form. I guess we wait and see.

I'm not trying to put it all on Vasi. The Cats have a deeper team and a recent sour taste in their mouth, much like the Lightning did after getting sweeped by Columbus. The first of two back to back Cups came right after that. I think there is a solid chance that Florida comes out of the East this year. I think they match up well against Carolina, New York, Boston, or the Leafs.

I think the Avs could give them a fight though.

Probably gonna be Avs and Cats in the finals. I think it's a toss up if Bob stays dialed in like he has been so far.

Congrats on the series win. The Cats deserved it. I wasn't surprised by the result and my bracket is still intact. Sure, I would have loved to see the Lightning pull off the upset, but it was clear from the first couple of weeks after Vasi came back that he was not 100%. The Lightning rely too heavily on him to bail them out and he hasn't been there this season. I don't know if he will ever return to pre-surgery form. I guess we wait and see.

I'm not trying to put it all on Vasi. The Cats have a deeper team and a recent sour taste in their mouth, much like the Lightning did after getting sweeped by Columbus. The first of two back to back Cups came right after that. I think there is a solid chance that Florida comes out of the East this year. I think they match up well against Carolina, New York, Boston, or the Leafs.

I think the Avs could give them a fight though.

Probably gonna be Avs and Cats in the finals. I think it's a toss up if Bob stays dialed in like he has been so far.
- GalacticStone

Bolts would have been run out of the first two games in the first period if not for Vasi holding them in. Vasi was a bright spot for TB, imo. Barkov and Forsling pretty much neutralized Kucherov, and FL in general kept TB’s PP at bay.

Bolts would have been run out of the first two games in the first period if not for Vasi holding them in. Vasi was a bright spot for TB, imo. Barkov and Forsling pretty much neutralized Kucherov, and FL in general kept TB’s PP at bay.
- Ratsreign

Vasi certainly didn't play poorly.

The Lightning were built around relying on a Vezina-quality goalie to bail them out and clean up their mistakes. They also had the luxury of a murderer's row of McDonagh, Hedman, and Sergachev to provide solid d-zone coverage and clean exits.

More than any of the other cap casualties, McDonagh hurt the most. This put more emphasis on Vasi. His regular season and postseason numbers were both below his career averages. This exposed the Lightning's lack of depth.

Cats are a deeper team and they have a better goalie than Vasi right now. Having Bob dialed in is a huge advantage. That, and Tkachuk was a game changer. Bringing in Tkachuk has made Florida a serious contender.

Looking up and down the roster (and at results), the Cats are just as good as any team still standing in the East. I don't know if they can beat the Avs, but they have just as good a shot as anyone else.

Leafs force game 7 in Boston.