After 14 nights of bone-crunching action in the opening round, the Stanley Cup playoffs shift to Round 2 as eight teams vie to lift the Stanley Cup in June.
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Sixteen teams started out the field, but after eight memorable series', four teams from each conference remain as we draw closer and closer to crowning a 2014-15 NHL champion.
In the Atlantic Division bracket, the Montreal Canadiens will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning to see who will advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
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Before the lights come up on that series at Bell Centre on Friday, here are some predictions and a preview of the best-of-seven clash:
[Atlantic 1] Montreal Canadiens vs. [Atlantic 2] Tampa Bay Lightning:
Round 1 Reflection: In Round 1, Sports World News picked the Canadiens to top the Ottawa Senators in seven games and the Lightning to overcome the Detroit Red Wings in five. Montreal won its series in six while Tampa Bay conquered its set in seven.
Season Series: The Lightning took all five meetings against the Canadiens in the regular season. Tampa Bay outscored Montreal 21-8.
Cup Dreams: The Canadiens are looking to get to the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight year and to make it to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993, the last time they hoisted the trophy. The Lightning, meanwhile, is looking to get to the Eastern final for the first time since 2011 and to eventually advance to the Cup Final for the first time since 2004, the last time they won it all.
Series Overview: This is a rematch of the opening round of last year's playoffs, which saw the Canadiens sweep the Lightning, who were playing without No. 1 goaltender Ben Bishop due to injury.
Montreal took a 3-0 series lead on Ottawa, but had to work for the decisive fourth win after the Senators won back-to-back games in Round 1 while Tampa Bay was on the brink of elimination after Game 5, but rattled off two straight wins to oust Detroit and get to this meeting with their division rivals.
These teams were in a regular season race to the very end, but the Canadiens (110) ousted the Lightning (108) for first place by two points.
Bishop's health is huge for Tampa Bay heading into this series as he out-dueled Montreal netminder Carey Price, who is a Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy finalist this campaign, all five times they faced-off in the regular season.
Bishop allowed 13 goals on 166 shots in the opening round while ranking fourth in the playoffs with a 1.87 goals-against average and adding a .922 save percentage.
Price led the NHL with 44 wins, a 1.96 GAA and a .933 save percentage in the regular season and followed it up by ranking third in the league with a .939 save percentage and fifth with a 1.94 GAA through the first round.
On offense, Tampa Bay was bolstered by Tyler Johnson , who tied for the league lead with six goals in Round 1 and tied for second with a team-leading seven points. Johnson's line with Nikita Kucherov (four assists) and Ondrej Palat (one goal, two helpers) continues to be one of the most formidable second lines in the game.
Alex Killorn was second on the club with four points in Round 1 off of two markers and two helpers. Killorn's linemate and Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (three assists) was held out of the goal column and rides a goal drought of eight games dating back to the regular season heading into this series. Ryan Callahan, who also plays on that line, also had three helpers in Round 1.
11 different players had at least one tally for Tampa Bay in the series.
Defenseman P.K. Subban paced Montreal in Round 1 with four points off of a goal and three assists while Max Pacioretty and Dale Weise each found the twine twice. The Canadiens received contributions from unlikely places as Brian Flynn had three points and was the hero with a goal in Game 1. Tomas Plekanec (1-2--3), Torrey Mitchell (1-2--3) and Alex Galchenyuk (1-1--2) were also key factors.
10 different players lit the lamp for Montreal in Round 1.
Coach Jon Cooper's blue line is flanked by the top pair of Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman, who form one of the most imposing duos in the league due to how they can play in their own end and move the puck offensively.
Hedman and Nikita Nesterov led all Tampa Bay defenseman with three points in Round 1. Andrej Sustr was first in the NHL with a plus-7 rating through the opening round while Hedman was second with a plus-six. Defenseman Braydon Coburn scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 on Wednesday.
For Michel Therrien's group, Subban didn't only lead the team with four points, but he paced it in average time on ice as well (25:08). His partner Andrei Markov averaged 25:03 and blocked 15 shots in Round 1. Deadline acquisition Jeff Petry and Alexei Emelin serve as the second pairing and were solid in the opening round.
Special Teams: Both clubs power plays were near the bottom of the league in Round 1 as the Lightning ranked 14th (6.7%) and the Canadiens finished 15th (5%). Tampa Bay's penalty kill finished ninth (82.8%) while Montreal's placed 12th (75%).
Final Thoughts: The Lightning got the better of the Canadiens in the regular season and one has to wonder whether Price's lack of ability to best Bishop will get in his head. Montreal has had a stellar run and with Price in net, there is always reason to believe this team is in store for a long spring. There is no definitive belief that Tampa Bay's dominance over Montreal will transfer over into Season 2, but there has to be an inkling that Stamkos will break out of his funk and if not, the team is deep enough and fast enough to succeed around him. It won't be a dominant sweep like the season series was, but the Lightning will move on.
The Pick: Lightning in 7.
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