The 2 time defending champion, Tampa Bay Lightning have won 5 straight tilts and have a commanding (3-0) lead vs the top ranked/President’s Trophy winning Florida Panthers in their “quarter.”
Thus T.B. is almost certain to make a third straight “semis” appearance and sixth in the last 8 seasons.
The Lightning have made/will make the semis in all 7 seasons starting in ’11, and including ’15,’16, ’18, ’20-’22 (if they win this “qtr”) in which they won at least one ‘offs game.
In both ’11 and ’17 the Lightning lost a road 7th game in the semis while in ’18 they lost #7/semis at home.
All 3 teams that won those 7th games vs the Lightning prevailed in the final round to take the title. (Bruins in ’11, Penguins in ’16 and the Caps in ’18, while each of those teams was “prelim’d out in 7 games last week, all on the road).
Before winning the back to back titles the past 2 seasons and going a superb (39-13) to this point and (32-10) in the previous 2 title winning ‘offs seasons, President’s Trophy winning Tampa Bay was shocked out in 4 straight games by Columbus in the ’19 prelims.
In ’12, ’13 and ’17 T.B. missed the ‘offs while in addition to being swept in the prelims by Columbus in ’19, “T.B.” was swept by Montreal in the ’14 prelims.
In ’15 they lost to Chicago’s 3rd crown in 6 seasons, in the NHL Final.
Altogether with their 8th semis appearance virtually assured, they are a “Whitey Ford 1961” (25-4) to have either made the semis or failed to win an ‘offs game in their 29 seasons.
The Lightning are or will be an incredible (8-1) in “quarters.” Only in ’03, the season before their first title did they lose one.
They lost in the first round but won at least one game in ’96, ’06 and ’07 and failed to qualify for the ‘offs 15 times, including 9 times in their first 10 seasons (’93-’02).
The superb Lightning coach, Jon Cooper pictured above.
The New York Rangers have advanced in the NHL playoffs. Despite trailing 3-1 after four games vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Broadway Blueshirts rattled off three wins in a row, and a Game 7 overtime win.
The New York Rangers will now battle the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, and the exotic dancers at Rick’s Cabaret New York are excited.
Rick’s Cabaret New York, the famous gentlemen’s club known for its beautiful entertainers, is just one block from Madison Square Garden and is a favorite with Rangers fans.
Rick’s girl Amelia said, “We invite you to watch the games with us or come for the decidedly unofficial post-game parties—they are so much fun.”
The three-story Rick’s Cabaret features private suites, luxury sky boxes, and the best in VIP treatment. The top-rated Rick’s Steakhouse on the club’s second floor is helmed by celebrity chef Jayson Margulies and serves lunch, dinner, and late night supper. Highly recommended.
Rick’s Cabaret New York (50 West 33 Street)
My post today recalls the 1976 Phoenix Suns’ upset win of the defending champion Golden State Warriors in a Sunday, non televised 7th game of the semi-finals.
At that point, I “knew” the Celtics would win another title as the Suns and not the Warriors, were now to be their final round opponent.
A long way to go these 46 years later and the Celts are only (1-1) with Miami, (they were -170 before the series began, sans home advantage and now are -260 with “home adv”) however, it appears to be a Celts/Warriors final on its way.
Clearly to this point, the Suns’ ouster at the hands of Dallas, has done “paving” work, for a truly outstanding Warriors’ team.
The Warriors covered both home games vs Dallas, as they defied my “every team loses at home in the ‘offs,” all teasing Dallas and overcoming a 19 point deficit in game two. “G.S.” is (8-0) at home in the ‘offs.
Kevon Looney, pictured above put forth an outstanding game “keying” the Warriors’ comeback win in game 2.
Ross Colton, who scored the lone goal in the Lightning’s repeat Cup title, game 5 win vs Montreal last season, took a brilliant pass from the great Nik (Nicky and his Lightning are 3/8 there) Kucherov and scored with 3 seconds left, lifting T.B. (2-1) at Florida and a (2-0) quarters lead with the series shifting to Tampa Bay for #3, not Saturday (concert at Amalie Arena) but Sunday afternoon.
It is the second straight season T.B. has “walked” into “out of the way,” Sunrise Arena and won the first two games of the series, having done so in last year’s prelims.
“Vas” (Andrei Vasilevskiy) again was great in net, allowing just one goal for the third straight game. This is a great team!
The great player, Nikita Kucherov, pictured above.
Last Sunday both of the previous year’s NBA finalists were eliminated from the ‘offs on the same day, in all likelihood for the first time in this the 74th such possibility.
The Suns, (0-3) in final round play, each a 6 game series loss, twice when having home advantage, have now failed to title in each of their 54 seasons.
They won 64 games but to be routed the way they were at home in the decisive 7th game/quarters is quite a blow.
Meanwhile Milwaukee, having won it all last season and one other time fifty years before that moves on to the off season deservedly devoid of criticism.
The coin toss that netted the Bucks and NOT the Suns the then Lew Alcindor, now Kareem Abdul Jabbar, certainly was/is— a/the seminal moment in each franchise’s history.
Four of the five NHL preliminary round 7th games were won by the home team, two yesterday in overtime, as those who were “losing their draws” betting the “draw”/game goes into overtime proposition wager, got 6 plus units back on a Sunday.
Only two time defending champion Tampa Bay (Lightning), (riding 2 Nick Paul goals, the second/game winner, a brilliant one, and yet another superb effort in a series clincher by “Vas” (2-1’d) Toronto), won on the road.
Yesterday Artemi Panarin and Johnny Gaudreau had goals in the first overtime “session” (Kenny Albert there, father Marv’s sports “sessions” no longer) lifting the New York Rangers (vs Pittsburgh, the second time the Rangers overcame a (3-1) series deficit vs “Pitts,” the first time was in ’14) and Calgary Flames (vs Dallas, despite a brilliant 64 save performance by their goalie Jake Oettinger–pronounced Ottinger and do not let me get started vs Goodels) to #7 home wins.
On Saturday, Carolina (6-0) all-time as Carolina in #’s 7, but a “dangerous” (4-0) at home in these ‘offs, won (3-2) vs Boston (the Bruins covered the “puck line” with a goal in the last 20 seconds, ergo this was not that dramatic, if at all) and Edmonton filled the first part of the first “Battle of Alberta” in 31 years, winning (2-0) vs L.A. in a home 7th, despite L.A. goalie Jon Quick’s great performance.
So Florida is a (-150) series favorite vs T.B. It will be tough, but I predict Florida in 6.
Carolina is about a 2 to 1 “fave” vs the Rangers. It will be no worse than (1-1) for the Rangers after 2 games and this series is too close to call, in my opinion.
Colorado also has not lost at home and I detest “chalk” picks, but let’s say the Blues (they are over 3 to 1series ‘dogs, get one in Col, then maybe take the ‘Lanche.
Finally, Calgary is too big a “fave” vs Edmonton, over 2 to 1, but Mitch Moss, who won 10K on Derek Stingley going third in the recent NFL draft (some of it going to wife, who said “baby needs a new pair of shoes”) has Calgary at 35 to 1 to win the West (they are maybe plus 350 now, 3 and a half to 1 now), so the pick, that might just “jinx” Moss, is Calgary in 6.
Nick Paul, pictured above, had both T.B. goals in game 7 at Toronto.
Juxtapose he, with another Paul, (Chris), yes an excellent player, but now on a team that dissipated and lost a series, in which they led (2-0), adding to his record, for now a 5th time.
In the second largest rout win by a road team in any NBA series decisive/winner take it game history, a superb player Luca Doncic hit for 35 and Spencer Dinwiddie added 30 as Dallas (Mavericks) ripped the top ranked (by 10 games, by the way, GState in this season in which their great fan, Brad Weiner passed away, has “home adv” in any remaining series while Miami has it vs Boston and would vs Dallas. The Mavs would have “it” vs the Celts) Phoenix Suns (130-93) (believe me it was not nearly that “close’).
Unfortunately the Suns (0-3) in final round play, twice with home advantage and up (2-0) vs Milwaukee (Bucks) last season, unlike the Bucks, who were eliminated on the same day but won it last year and were series u/dogs vs Boston, juxtaposed with the Suns, who were big faves, only to again dissipate a (2-0) series lead and this time a (3-2) advantage as (not) well, deserve mucho criticism!!
Dallas, whose 2 series victories this season are the first for the franchise since winning it all in 2011 (their lone title, the semis teams have a combined 27 titles, 17 won by Boston, 6 by the Warriors in both Philly and the West Coast Bay Area and 3 for Miami), now are plus “210” (just over 2 to 1) vs Golden State, with the series opening at “G.S.” on Wednesday night.
Luca Doncic, pictured above.
The road/home and the Bucks “playing the part” of the Celts in the ’74 final vs them, was broken, again yielding a Celtics 7 game series triumph culminating in a Sunday afternoon win vs the Bucks, this vs the defending champion Bucks and their great player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, making Boston (4-0) vs the Bucks in game 7’s and (6-2) in series, none of which ever went 6 games.
I predicted Boston a 2:1 series fave to win vs Milwaukee in 6 and as too high 8 to 5 “semis” faves vs the East top seed Miami Heat, I again predict them to win in 6, largely due to the fact the Heat (6-0) at home in these ‘offs, will lose at least one home game.
Clearly, however, in my opinion, these are two evenly matched teams and though I think Boston will prevail, the 8 to 5 Boston as “faves,” is too high.
Giannis and Jayson Tatum embrace after #7, in which Tatum, who had 46 in #6 had half as many while Grant Williams led Boston with 27 points, hitting seven– 3 point shots.
There will be SEVEN (decisive) SEVENTH games, three all in the NHL prelims today, and four tomorrow, to determine which teams move on to the NBA semi-final round and the NHL quarterfinal round.
In the NBA, the two teams, each of whom annexed superb players to seriously help them win 2 titles each in the last decade, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors each are (6-0) at home (remember going forward, just about every team that has made the semis in the last decades has lost at least one game at home during the ‘offs) and won their “quarters” in 6 games, beating the Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies respectively.
Miami seeking its 4th NBA crown won it in 2006 and then won 2 straight in the second and third seasons with the annexed, great player, Leb James in 2012 and 2013.
Golden State had titled in 2015 vs Cleveland, which had taken James back only to be robbed of the crown vs James and the Cavs in 2016. ‘G.S.” then went out and annexed another great, Kevin Durant and won back to back titles in 2017 and 2018, each vs James and Cleveland.
Meanwhile there are 2 #7’s tomorrow with a night Suns (menos 6) vs Dallas following a 3:30 Eastern on over the air television, #7 between the Celtics (-5) and the Bucks.
Who but me cited the eery similarity to these two teams classic 1974 NBA final?!
In each series through 6 games, it was road/home/home/ and 3 straight road team wins and through 6 Milwaukee has reversed its situation with Boston those 48 years ago as then it was Boston/Milw/Bost?Milw/Bost/Milw on Kareem’s ( Abdul Jabbar) long sky hook also in a Friday night #6) before the Celts won a third road tilt of that final on Mother’s Day afternoon in Milwaukee.
Tomorrow a week after Mother’s Day and in a rare Sunday afternoon/over the air TV’d game, Milwaukee visits Boston, to decide which team will face the East top seed Miami Heat.
In the NHL, one of three series ended last night and the top ranked Florida Panthers (their fellow Miami team, the Heat also won in 6 to advance. Both Boston teams have afternoon #7’s, starting within 24 hours, the Bruins at Carolina and the aforementioned Celts/Bucks, the two Dallas teams have road 7th’s, the aforementioned Mavericks at Phoenix and the NHL Stars at Calgary, each playing and quite possibly overlapping tomorrow night–both Tennessee teams the NBA Grizzlies beaten in a 6 game “qtr” as cited and the NHL Preds swept out by Colorado, whose fellow Denver team had been 5’d by Golden State in the prelims, were ousted in the respective overlapping NBA quarters and NHL prelims) rode series star, Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime goal to their first series win since ’96 when they made the Cup final, only to be swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Elsewhere in the NHL as essentially cited Dallas forced a 7th at Calgary, doubling the Flames in a late night tilt in Dallas after the New York Rangers overcame a (2-0) deficit and won in Pittsburgh for the first time in the series (only 5 of the 32 ‘offs teams have not lost at home, aforementioned Miami and G.S. Colorado (2-0) and both Carolina and Boston in their all home prelim through 6 games).
Thus, say around 7 P.M. Eastern Time for Pens at the Rangers followed by Stars at the Flames, each team 2 under in previous #7’s, the Flames (5-7), the Stars (6-8).
Two more notes to conclude this long but essentially positive post on yet another dreary Saturday, the Pens are (5-0) in road 7th games and the first time the Rangers ever overcame a (3-1) series, that vs the Penguins in 2014 when there was Louise, New York won a Friday night, at Pitts #5 and a home #6/Sunday tilt before winning #7 in Pittsburgh.
#6 of this series was a Friday (last) night at Pittsburgh and tomorrow is a Sunday night (in ’14 ’twas a day game) #7 at New York game.
Heat executive, Pat Riley as cited here in my recollection of the great ’71-’72 Lakers a week back, has been a part of 9 title teams. (4 as Lakers coach, 1 as a Lakers player, that in ’72, 1 as an assistant coach with L.A. one as Heat coach and 2 as Heat executive).
I believe Riley has also lost 9 times in a major final entity. Those are in ’66 as a college player with Kentucky when Texas Western, with a then virtually unprecedented all Black players starting five upset the Wildcats.
Riley lost a final as a coach thrice with L.A. and once with the Knicks. He lost three as a Heat executive, one in a “b.s. bubble” season in 2020 and one as a pro player with the ’73 Lakers, who fell to the Knicks. (Fell was said just about as I typed and where is Norman and what would he say regarding “this” and much “that?!”
Brayden Point, a superb clutch player (see my post regarding his goal in the 5th overtime to start the Lightning what has manifested in 2 titles and who knows this season?) scored late in the first overtime lifting 2 time champion Tampa Bay (4-3) over Toronto to force game 7 in what will be a frenzied Toronto setting on Saturday night.
A positive Lightning streak (or(r) is it strike that could have made one rich, a la the non bet, left in/put in 80 to 1 Rich Strike and as I typed for the Bobby/Brayden thing “OR” was said) and negative Leafs streak continued.
T.B. has now won 18 straight playoffs tilts after a loss while “Tor” has lost 9 straight games, in which they had a chance with a victory to clinch a series. They have not won a series since 2004 and not even made a Cup final round since winning the title in 1967.
Elsewhere the Bruins eased vs Carolina and Edmonton won at L.A. to set up two more #7’s Saturday. The times?
Click below to view my post after T.B. had won game 1 of its prelim vs Columbus in 2020’s “bubble” ‘offs. The year before the Lightning had a dominant regular season only to incredibly, be swept out by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Since then those 18 straight wins after a loss, 2 titles and look as Point has Orr on his shirt.
- Lightning “Open” Blue Jackets In An Epic 5 Overtime Game on August 11, 2020
The great Johnny Bower, pictured above, recorded a shutout in #7 for all the marbles (Cup Final vs Detroit) in 1964.
Andy B Sports 