2 Weeks Ago
3 Weeks Ago
3 Weeks Ago
Center Brian Boyle put a sobering spin on one of the Lightning's best stretches of the season.
'"We're winning just to stay where we're at," he said.
And Tampa Bay's unlikely climb into a playoff spot only gets more daunting.
Despite winning three of its last four games, the Lightning (25-24-7) remains six points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference — seven points behind Boston for third in the Atlantic Division (with two games in hand).
Five teams separate Tampa Bay and the last wild card. Most have an easier path to the playoffs, according to a Times schedule analysis.
When will Stamkos be Stamkos?
Starting this weekend, the Lightning will have five sets of back-to-back games on the road, more than any wild-card contender. The Hurricanes and Devils have zero. Toronto and Carolina have one. The Lightning's six remaining back-to-backs are second only to Buffalo (eight).
Tampa Bay's record in back-to-backs: 8-7-6. That's not a promising picture for a team that needs 38 points in its final 26 games — the equivalent of it as a 19-7 run — to reach 95 points, which the final Eastern Conference playoff team averaged the past three seasons.
Can the Lightning pull it off? Yes. It has 15 home games left, and two matchups apiece with Boston and Toronto, whom its chasing. This might come down to the final road trip, when Tampa Bay faces the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Canadiens. But there's a reason Tampa Bay's odds are 14.1-percent to make the playoffs, according to hockeyreference.com's projections.
Now that's sobering.
The favorites
* Maple Leafs: The young Leafs have stumbled, going 3-5-2 in their last 10. But all it would take is a 16-10 finish to get to 95. Toronto has 21 of its final 27 games against Eastern Conference teams. Six are against Detroit, Buffalo and Florida, against which Toronto is a combined 7-1.
*Bruins:- Boston is rolling, having won three straight after the firing of Claude Julien (who has since taken over as Canadiens coach). The Bruins are a combined 13-0 against divisional foes Lightning, Sabres, Panthers and Red Wings. Boston does have the always tough West Coast and Western Canada trip remaining.
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