Quote:
Originally Posted by Philly06Cup
Tampa in 4. They're still a juggernaut. It's like they aren't sexy anymore since Kucherov and Stamkos slowed down a bit -- but look at the team. They have it all. NJ is a team that barely squeaked in.
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And to me, New Jersey has decent depth but really only one star offensive player in Hall. Just a reminder, this is Taylor Hall's first playoff series ever, so he might not be ready for the heightened level of play. If you can shut him down, most of the New Jersey offense dries up. When your next two scorers after Hall are rookie Nico Hischier and glorified 3rd liner Kyle Palmieri, you are in tough to score enough goals against a more than capable Tampa defense and goaltender. Tampa also has offense in spades, so I just don't see a scenario where New Jersey takes 4 games from Tampa Bay.
It's a good story to see New Jersey in the playoffs, but I would be stunned to see them upset the Lightning.