Why the Lightning look like legit Stanley Cup contenders

The Tampa Bay Lightning have surprised a lot of people this season. Not that anyone should be truly surprised by a team capable of winning two Stanley Cups and going to the Cup Final for three straight seasons, but after two years of first round exits, many expected to see their window close.

And yet, some smart moves in the offseason have rejuvenated their window, and now they are neck-and-neck with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs in the fight for the Atlantic Division title. But is that enough to put them back at the level of a Stanley Cup contender?

Frank Seravalli talked about the Lightning and why he sees them in his inner circle of Stanley Cup contenders on Daily Faceoff Live.

Frank Seravalli: I am [bullish on the Lightning] because of the way that Andre Vasilevskiy has played. I’m looking at Vasilevskiy’s numbers, and I’m looking at this more stout Tampa Bay defense having Ryan McDonagh back (who, by the way, congratulations on 1,000 games for McDonagh on Thursday night).

The crazy part about the way the bracket shapes up is they could be out in round one, or they could go and win the Stanley Cup. It’s always dangerous to put two teams from the same division in your inner circle, just like we have with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. We’re on a path that’s guaranteed one of those teams to be out [in the first round].

So perhaps that’s my fault with the way that I’ve constructed this, but I think if you were to take these teams and stack them up, one on top of the other, I just think Tampa is in that class of teams that certainly has an authentic chance.

You can watch the full episode here…