TAMPA, Fla. — The NHL playoffs have been a roller coaster of excitement, punctuated by two Game 7s over the weekend to decide the Stanley Cup finalists.
It’ll be Tampa Bay against Chicago in the best-of-seven series that begins Wednesday night, with the tradition-rich Blackhawks aiming for a third title in six years.
Some might say it would be better theater or more interesting to have New York represented on the sport’s biggest stage rather than one of the league’s smaller markets, but don’t sell the Eastern Conference champion Lightning short when it comes to hockey appeal.