Eight is great -- but a few more could rewrite history.
With a 5-2 win against the Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their playoff winning streak to eight games.
The streak dates back to Tampa Bay's first-round series win against the Penguins and includes its four-game sweep of the Capitals in the second round.
Over that span, which started with an 8-2 rout in Pittsburgh, the Lightning have outscored their opponents by a 34-16 margin, averaging better than four goals per game while allowing only two. They've scored at least five goals on three occasions, and at least four goals five times.
The eight straight wins are the longest consecutive postseason streak in the NHL since the Red Wings won nine in a row en route to winning the 2008 Stanley Cup. Detroit, of course, is the franchise where current Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman won three Stanley Cups.
Should Tampa Bay defeat Boston in Game 2 on Tuesday at TD Garden (8 p.m., Versus, TSN, RDS), the Lightning would take a 2-0 series lead back to Tampa Bay. They’d also be on the verge of something historic.
The all-time NHL record for consecutive wins in a single playoff year is 11. Three teams have accomplished the feat: the Blackhawks in 1992, the Penguins in 1992 and the Canadiens in 1993.
Pittsburgh and Montreal won the Cup in those respective seasons.
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