Lightning Strikes...7 Years Later

Yesterday, I gave my reasons for Washington's collapse against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Now, the other side of that argument: my reasons for why Tampa Bay could make the Stanley Cup Finals.  So, without further ado, let's get to it:

*Winning hockey begins with the man in the net, otherwise known as the goaltender.  Watch any of the Stanley Cup Finals from the last two decades or so, and more often than not, you will see a team with a good goaltender, the 2010 Flyers notwithstanding.  What does this have to do with the Lightning?  Well, if you remember their 2004 Stanley Cup team, they got clutch goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin.  This year's goaltender, Dwayne Roloson has been replicating that performance, and has solved the goaltending quandary that Dan Ellis and Mike Smith could not answer this season.

*Quick, name the Lightning's leading goal scorer. *waits a few seconds* Time's up.  Now, would you believe me if I told you that the leading goal scorer on the team is Sean Bergenheim?  No?  I don't blame you.  However, as the Penguins and Capitals can tell you, the Lightning is more than just Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier.  The Islanders cast-off has been the best player on the team not named Dwayne Roloson this post-season, and whoever the Lightning face in the Conference Finals had better account for one more option on offense.  Now, that's a scary thought.

*Speaking of Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier, that trio has begun to show signs of life recently, particularly Stamkos.  Until game 5 against Pittsburgh, Stamkos had not been on the score sheet.  Meanwhile, both St. Louis and Lecavalier have shown that winning hockey never goes away, no matter how long you've been away.  That attitude and the know-how both possess from the 2004 run are now being passed through the rest of the team, which explains why the likes of Bergenheim and Steve Downie are major contributors, and why the kids like Stamkos and Victor Hedman aren't scared off by the pressure.

*Remember when I told you that the Tampa Bay blue line would be their downfall?  Well, there is no accounting for commitment to a system, and coach Guy Boucher has his team buying into it.  From day one, the Lightning have bought into the system, and now, that is beginning to bear fruit, particularly with the likes of Nate Thompson, Mattias Ohlund, and Hedman.

Now, can the Lightning make it to the Stanley Cup Finals?  I won't bet against them, but the race to be the Eastern Conference representative suddenly looks open, and Tampa Bay wants to be that team.  It could happen.