The Tampa Bay Lightning start their playoff quest on Thursday night at home in Amalie Arena against the New Jersey Devils. The Lightning finished the regular season atop the Atlantic Division and as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Devils finished fifth in the Metro and eighth in the conference. That puts them in the crossover position sliding over to the Atlantic bracket to face the top-seeded Lightning.
Team Comparison
On paper, this is a one-sided matchup. Most models have Tampa Bay heavily favored. Micah Blake McCurdy’s model has the Lightning at 66% to win the series.