5 reasons why the Tampa Bay Lightning can win the Stanley Cup

Throughout the 2018-19 campaign, the Tampa Bay Lightning have widely been proclaimed Stanley Cup favorites. Here are five reasons as to why they are in a position to land hockey’s ultimate prize.

Put simply, Tampa Bay’s 2018-19 season can — and should — be defined by one word: dominance.

Atop the National Hockey League’s standings from the get-go, the Bolts’ campaign has been nothing short of relentless, as Jon Cooper’s men demonstrate a consistent ability to marry offensive clinicality with defensive accountability on any given night. The Presidents’ Trophy has been theirs for quite some time and the thought of the club’s campaign being a staple of record books looms larger than ever.

Yet to argue that the organization shall not be left to grapple with its own challenges in the upcoming months is to overlook the ways in which the winds of recent history have blown. After all, the past five years paint the picture of a franchise for whom dominance, critical acclaim and heartbreak — seemingly always in that order — is a thing of recurrence:

• 2013-14: lost in the first round to the Montréal Canadiens (0-4)
• 2014-15: lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks (2-4)
• 2015-16: lost in the Conference Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4)
• 2016-17: failed to qualify for the playoffs
• 2017-18: lost in the Conference Finals to the Washington Capitals (3-4)

Indeed, the Lightning — talented, depth-ridden and preeminent though they may be — have their own hurdles to jump. But the sheer unabating nature of the club’s intensity over the course of the past season leaves many to believe that the Bolts’ time has come.

Let’s explore five reasons as to why the Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

5. The numbers don’t lie

From a purely statistical perspective, the Bolts appear to be a lock to take home hockey’s most esteemed prize.

Placed first in the NHL for what seems like the entirety of the 2018-19 season, Tampa has amassed a whopping 122 points in 77 games played. That’s a shocking 21 more than the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins — both whom are tied for second place, and have managed to tally an impressive 101 points apiece.

Even more noteworthy is the manner in which the Lightning have steadily turned heads, topping the league’s standings on a vast array of fronts. Below is a short summary of the club’s ranking within six key measurable categories (considered in conjunction with the numbers of relevant opponents).

• Wins: first, 59 (second, Calgary Flames, 47)
• Losses: last, 14 (second-last, Boston Bruins, 21)
• OT/Shootout Losses: last, 4 (tied with the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Goals For: first, 306 (second, Toronto Maple Leafs, 271)
• Goals Against: 26th (ahead of only the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Dallas Stars)
• Goal Differential: first, +100 (second, Calgary Flames, +55)

I think you get the idea. The Bolts not just dominate, but better yet command statistics that winning teams want to control, and fall toward the bottom of categories that indicate signs of weakness.

Few organizations — if any — have looked this superior in recent years, which further solidifies a burning question that lies at the heart of the sport: Is there any hope of stopping Tampa?