Tampa Bay at New York

Tampa Bay is a good defensive team but not a great one (#15 in goals allowed). They are also not a stellar road team, barely over .500 away from home, and the Lightning is 12-32 on the road against a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. This New York Rangers team has it all, depth, speed and a powerhouse defense behind a dominant goalie in Henrik Lundqvist. The third line of Dominic Moore, Kevin Hayes and Carl Hagelin was New York's best in game seven against Washington; they provide a combination of speed, power and strong forechecking. New York won the Eastern Conference last season, so this team is not a fluke. The Rangers are third in the NHL in goals scored and allowed. Coach Alain Vigneault hasn't been afraid to change lines when he needs to. In game seven against the Capitals, Vigneault benched Martin St. Louis in the third period and put J.T. Miller up on the top line with Derick Brassard and Rick Nash. Miller brought life to that line and it started to create scoring chances. The Rangers are 6-2 in 2-1 games and 4-0 in overtime (all the OT games had a 2-1 score). New York's offense has speed to burn to keep pace with fast-skating Tampa Bay and a far better defense. The Rangers are on a 50-19 run, including 37-15 vs. the Eastern Conference, so grab home ice in the series opener and play the NY Rangers in game one.