Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Buffalo, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Sabres 2

Oddsmakers currently have the BUFFALO listed as 140-moneyline favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning are just one point apart in the NHL standings, out of the playoff picture but headed in different directions as they try to stay in the wild-card hunt in the second half of the season.

The Lightning (19-19-4) have lost four straight and allowed 22 goals in those games — they allowed six or more goals just once in their first 38 games, but now have done it three times in the last four — while the Sabres (16-15-9) are 3-0-1 in their last four.

“We want to be a relentless, aggressive, fast, hard team to play against, that keeps coming at you for 60 minutes,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Wednesday. “That’s when we’re at our best. We’re getting there.”

The Lightning are at the other extreme, struggling defensively in front of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who started 10 straight games since Ben Bishop was sidelined. Tampa Bay went 4-1-1 in the first six, but has lost the last four, and Bishop is expected to return either Thursday or Friday against the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets.

“This is the most difficult stretch we’ve had since we’ve been here. It’s not a lot of fun,” Lightning associate coach Rick Bowness said Wednesday. “There’s only one way out of it. You’ve got to work your way out of it.”

The Lightning will try to do that in a difficult stretch — after Columbus on Friday, they play six straight on the road, including games against three teams atop divisions in the Western Conference in Chicago, San Jose and Anaheim. Having a break over the last three days gave Tampa Bay a rest it has sorely needed.

“I just think that a couple of days off has given the guys some fresh legs,” Bowness said. “Tired bodies are a little more rested.”

One advantage the Lightning can hope to make the most of is their power play, which is the second-best in the NHL, converting on 23.5 percent of their chances. That will go up against a weak spot for Buffalo, which ranks last in the league in penalty kill, allowing goals on 26 percent of opposing power plays.

The Lightning’s struggles on defense may need to be addressed before the trade deadline — in reaching the Eastern finals last year, they ranked fifth in the NHL with 2.41 goals allowed per game; this year, they’ve dropped to 25th, allowing 2.98, despite largely the same lineup in goal and on the blue line.

Buffalo is scoring more, with three players tied for the team lead at 27 points in right wing Kyle Okposo (team-best 12 goals), defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (team-best 24 assists) and 21-year-old center Sam Reinhart, who has nine goals. The Sabres will be without goalie Robin Lehner, who is ill and didn’t make the trip, so it’s likely Anders Nilsson in net against Tampa Bay.

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Chicago at Tampa Bay
When: 7:15 PM ET, Saturday, June 6, 2015
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVA Sports
PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Blackhawks 2
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Oddsmakers currently have the Lightning listed as 122-moneyline favorites versus the Blackhawks, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 2-1 winner as they battled the Lightning on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Blackhawks at +111 were rewarded, while the 3 combined goals moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Defenseman Duncan Keith set up Teravainen’s goal to extend his assist/point streak to five games, during which he has set up eight tallies. The two-time Norris Trophy winner has a career-high 17 assists and 19 points in the playoffs, with the former serving as the most by a blue-liner in a playoff year since New York Rangers stud Brian Leetch (23, 1994) and the latter as the most by a defenseman since Edmonton’s Chris Pronger (21, 2006). Keith, who is logging a massive 31:28 of average ice time in the playoffs, sat out Friday’s practice but is in no danger of missing Game 2.

Team record: 61-32-7
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay

The vaunted “Triplets” line of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov was held in check in the series opener, but coach Jon Cooper isn’t ready to push the panic button. “They’ve proven time and time again, they may be kept off the scoresheet a game here, a game there, but you’re not going to keep them off for long,” Cooper said of the line that recorded 28 goals and 55 points over the first three rounds of the playoffs. In the Stanley Cup final opener, however, the trio combined for just two shots.

Team record: 62-33-8
Tampa Bay is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Chicago

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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

CONFERENCE FINALS: Lightning beat New York Rangers in 7. Blackhawks beat Anaheim Ducks in 7.

SEASON SERIES: Tampa Bay won 1-0-1.

STORY LINE: The Blackhawks are on the brink of a coronation as the greatest team of their era if they can claim their third Stanley Cup title in six years, while the Lightning hope to establish themselves as the best young team in hockey by knocking off the big dogs. Chicago’s championship experience and Tampa Bay’s youthful hunger provide a fascinating contrast in the first playoff meeting for these teams, both still buzzing from impressive road wins in Game 7 of their respective conference finals. Chicago stars Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith are in position to cement their legacy after grinding through the West bracket, while the Lightning have already persevered through 20 postseason games to earn their franchise’s first trip to the Final since 2004. Tampa Bay was the NHL’s highest-scoring team in the regular season, but has played remarkable defensive games in the postseason, capped by two shutout victories at Madison Square Garden to close out the conference title. Chicago is the NHL’s second-best defensive team in the regular season, but doesn’t struggle for scoring – particularly not when Toews and Kane play on the same line, as they did to finish off the Ducks. Both powerhouses have weaknesses: Tampa Bay’s lineup is extraordinarily front-loaded, with its top six forwards accounting for 45 of its 55 postseason goals, while the Blackhawks’ lack of defensive depth was exposed in the Western Conference finals as they largely relied on just four blueliners.

TAMPA BAY’S KEY PLAYER: Steven Stamkos. The 25-year-old captain has the biggest showcase of his career playing opposite Toews in a compelling clash of elite Canadian forwards. Stamkos has an enviable list of accomplishments in seven NHL seasons, including a couple of 50-goal seasons. But leading a team to a championship is what makes the difference between good players and the best – like Toews.

CHICAGO’S KEY PLAYER: Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks’ top defenseman was on the ice for a jaw-dropping 230 minutes, 48 seconds in the seven-game win over Anaheim, both because of his tireless brilliance and because Chicago coach Joel Quenneville clearly didn’t trust his third defensive pairing. If Keith plays a similarly commanding role in the Final, this postseason will be among his greatest achievements and should make him a front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

GAME 1: Wednesday, 8 p.m.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks in 6.

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Tampa Bay at NY Rangers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, May 29, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Lightning 1
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 151-moneyline favorites versus the Lightning, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

New York was a 7-3 winner in its last match on the road against the Lightning. They won as +120 underdogs, while the total score of 10 made winners of OVER bettors.

Tampa Bay did manage to win Games 6 and 7 in its first-round matchup with Detroit, but it needs to find a way to get the “Triplets” line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov going. Although Kucherov scored twice in Game 6 on a pair of assists by Johnson, the unit has produced six points in the last three contests after dominating the first half of the series by combining for eight goals and eight assists in the first three games. A flu bug that had been affecting the Lightning seems to have subsided, but they need a better outing from Ben Bishop, who allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in Game 6 and eventually was pulled after surrendering five tallies for the third time in four starts.

Team record: 61-32-8
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tampa Bay’s last 16 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing NY Rangers

Brassard had scored just one goal in his previous eight games before notching his first career hat trick and becoming the third player in franchise history to collect five points in a playoff contest. Rick Nash, a 42-goal scorer during the regular season who drew a ton of criticism after tallying only twice in the first 15 games of the postseason, has come alive with three goals and four assists over the last three contests. Still, the fortunes of the Presidents’ Trophy winners likely will hinge on the performance of Lundqvist, who set the tempo in Game 6 with 15 first-period saves and has been victorious in his last six Game 7s while posting a .973 save percentage and microscopic 0.81 goals-against average.

Team record: 64-28-8
NY Rangers is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games
NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games at home

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Tampa Bay at NY Rangers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 24, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Lightning 2
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 140-moneyline favorites versus the Lightning, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

The Rangers were a 5-1 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Lightning. That made winners of bettors who got New York at +120 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for OVER bettors.

While the buzz after Game 3 centered around Lundqvist’s shaky play, there suddenly are questions surrounding Tampa Bay counterpart Ben Bishop after he surrendered five goals for the second consecutive outing. While Cooper dismissed questions regarding a switch of netminders, calling it “asinine,” there are legitimate concerns over the Lightning’s penalty-killing unit after allowing two power-play goals for the third straight game. “The penalty kill needs to be better,” said Bishop, who lost for only the second time in 12 career starts against the Rangers. “It starts with me. Six goals in three games is unacceptable.”

Team record: 60-31-8
Tampa Bay is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay’s last 15 games on the road

While Lundqvist stole the headlines, an equally important development for New York was the revival of Rick Nash, who notched a career-high 42 goals in the regular season but had tallied only twice in the playoffs before doubling the total on Friday. “It’s just natural to grip your stick a little bit tighter and to not see the ice as well when you’re struggling,” Nash said. “The puck doesn’t feel comfortable on your stick, so any time you can get a goal and get a little confidence, it helps.” Former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis also broke through with his first tally of the postseason, ending an 18-game drought.

Team record: 63-27-8
NY Rangers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 6 games
NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Rangers’s last 7 games at home

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Lundqvist stopped 38 shots to rebound from two subpar performances and help the Rangers shut down the Lightning 5-1 on Friday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

”People are going to wakeup in the morning, and look at the box score and say, `Oh wow’ Tampa got waxed,”’ Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. ”But if you’re in the building you probably don’t see it that way.”

Rick Nash had two goals and an assist, and former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis ended a playoff scoring drought with a third-period goal for New York. The Rangers evened the best-of-7 series 2-2 heading back to New York for Game 5 on Sunday night.

”We’ll have to respond,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. ”We have to be better next game. It’s 2-2. It’s a best two out of three now. We’ll have to win one on the road.”

Lundqvist allowed 12 goals in losing Games 2 and 3, but redeemed himself by handling nearly everything the speedy and skilled Lightning threw at him.

”Again and again made important saves,” Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman said of Lundqvist. ”That’s him.”

Stamkos scored for the third straight game, briefly making it 1-1 before New York’s Chris Kreider and Keith Yandle struck within a 2-minute span for a 3-1 Rangers lead.

With the Lightning’s Nikita Nesterov in the penalty box for high-sticking St. Louis, the star of Tampa Bay’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship team delivered his first goal this postseason to make it 4-1 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Nash added another power-play goal at 11:33 of the third period.

The Lightning outshot the Rangers 39-24 but couldn’t rattle Lundqvist, who rejected Stamkos from point-blank range and moments later stopped Alex Killorn on a breakaway during one sequence with Tampa Bay trying to get back in the game in the second period.

Lundqvist stopped 18 of 19 shots in the period, and had 13 more saves in the third.

”The first two periods we had a ton of chances,” Killorn said. ”Seemed like they were getting a couple of bounces. That’s just the way it is.”

Earlier Friday, Lundqvist reiterated after the morning skate that he still had confidence in himself and that one of the keys to rebounding as a team would be not trying to do anything special Friday night, but rather just ”do our jobs.”

”The last 48 hours or so, it’s been pretty tough trying not to over analyze or complicate things,” Lundqvist said. ”Soul searching.”

”I feel like the entire team stepped up tonight. It feels so good when you’re feeling like you’re doing it together and not just one or two guys.”

In seven games against the Rangers, three of them in the regular season, the Lightning have scored at least five goals on Lundqvist four times. They had six on the road in Game 2, and six more during Wednesday night’s overtime victory that left New York searching for answers to playing better defense in front of him.

Nash led the Rangers with 42 goals during the regular season, but only had two in 15 playoff games before Friday night. The 1-0 lead held up until the Lightning broke through during a frenzied stretch of the second period in which Tampa Bay outshot New York 11-1 and failed to convert two power-play opportunities before Stamkos tied it with his sixth goal of the playoffs, a slap shot from the right circle that skipped up over Lundqvist.

It didn’t take the Rangers long to respond.

Kreider scored at 15:16 of the second when Kevin Klein’s shot caromed off Bishop directly to the New York center in front of the net. Yandle’s goal less than 2 minutes later hit defenseman Victor Hedman’s foot and squirted through to put New York up 3-1.

Yandle finished one goal and two assists. Klein and Kevin Hayes each had two assists for the Rangers.

NOTES: Lightning D Matt Carle didn’t play after leaving in the first period of Game 3 with an undisclosed injury. … Nash organized a team trip to see the movie ”Entourage” Thursday night. … Killorn has three goals and three assists in the past three games. … Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman and New York’s Glen Sather joined Anaheim’s Bob Murray as finalists for the NHL general manager of the year award. The winner will be announced June 24 in in Las Vegas. Murray won last year.

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Tlusty scored twice, Semin had a goal and two assists and Staal chipped in with a pair of assists — all in the first period — to lead the Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night.

Dan Ellis stopped 34 shots to make a 3-0 lead stand up and help Carolina to its first win over Tampa Bay this season.

“We came out hard, and that was the difference in the first period,” Tlusty said. “We kept it going throughout the game.”

Semin scored for Carolina 16 seconds in, taking a feed in the slot from Staal and whipping it over the shoulder of Lightning goalie Anders Lindback.

Tlusty’s first goal came shortly after the Hurricanes failed to score on a power play when he dumped the puck on goal from inside the blue line and it bounced off of Lindback’s pads and into the back of the net.

Later in the period, Tlusty was stationed in front of the net and was in the perfect position to direct a deflection off of Staal’s shot past Lindback.

“I don’t know what the problem is with us in first periods,” said Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. “We always battle back hard from being down in games, which is the good part, but we would rather be up a few goals in the first instead of behind.”

The Lightning, who lost their sixth straight game, got on the board with a power-play goal from Steven Stamkos in the second period — his 28th goal of the season.

Martin St. Louis added a third-period goal to narrow the deficit to 3-2 but Ellis turned away the final 12 shots he faced, including point-blank opportunities by Eric Brewer, Ryan Malone and B.J. Crombeen.

“(Ellis) stepped up and had a good, strong game,” Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. “That’s what you need from him. His performance was good.

“They’ve had our number recently, but I think it was just important to us because we had a tough game last night and the guys have been playing so hard through the stretch. We got off track last night and we wanted to get back on track tonight and do the right things and we did.”

With less than 20 seconds left, the Lightning pulled Lindback and created a lot of traffic in front of Ellis but could not tie the game.

“I have gotten lit up by this team forever so this was a good night,” Ellis said. “They play with a lot of pride and so do we. We are not pushing for playoff spots but we are pushing to honor our fans, honor the crest on our jersey.”

St. Louis got his league-leading 42nd assist on Stamkos’ goal and his 55 points are only one behind injured Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby for the league lead.

Game notes

Staal thought he had a goal in the second period but officials declared his shot deflected off Brewer’s skate but did not completely cross the goal line. A video review upheld the call. … In their previous four contests this season, the Lightning outscored the Hurricanes 18-4. … Semin has 31 assists this season. … The Lightning outshot the Hurricanes 16-4 in the third period.

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The deal represents a strong return for the Senators, considering Conacher has been one of the most impressive rookies in the NHL and can immediately join the Senators’ lineup during their playoff push.

The 5-foot-8 Conacher has nine goals and 15 assists this season and is second among all rookies with 24 points, only one behind Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau.

But in Bishop, the Lightning immediately address their goaltending issues. The 6-foot-7 Bishop has been effective in Ottawa while playing for the injured Craig Anderson, posting a record of 8-5-0 with a .922 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.

The deal gives the Lightning another option at goalie for starter Anders Lindback, who has been inconsistent in his first season as an NHL starter. Lindback is recovering from an ankle injury and hasn’t played since March 20.

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Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak and Nikolai Kulemin also scored for Toronto. Kadri’s three points tied a career high, and he had a chance at a fourth point but was hauled down in front of the goal by Teddy Purcell midway through the third period.

Rookies Radko Gudas and Cory Conacher scored for Tampa Bay in the third, spoiling James Reimer’s shutout attempt.

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The league’s reigning MVP hasn’t played since his concussion after slamming into the end boards in a win over Florida on Feb. 22.

Coach Dan Bylsma says Malkin has passed all the mandatory NHL protocols following a head injury. Malkin says he has not experienced headaches, neck soreness or other symptoms. Malkin adds he did have short-term memory loss the day he was hurt.

Malkin has four goals and 17 assists this season. The Penguins went 2-2 in Malkin’s absence. The 26-year-old is to play on the second line with Beau Bennett and James Neal against the Lightning.

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