----------------------------------------------------

Las Vegas - You know the old saying, cream rises to the top. Well, Tampa Bay has been the cream of the NHL for a handful of years under Jon Cooper. However, the Lightning were not exceptional in the first few months of the season, posting a 27-24 record. Then February started and Tampa kicked it into high gear, winning nine of the last 10 and outscoring the opposition 41-17. The Lightning are 22-7-2 at home and only the Hurricanes (23-7-1) have a better record in the Eastern Conference. Their plus/minus (goals for/goals against) is sitting at +58 and only the Capitals (+59) have done it better. We made a few bucks with the Sabres back in February but they have reverted back to ugly in March, losing four in a row, allowing 19 goals and scoring only nine. Planning to catch Lightning in a bottle, and, in my wallet.

----------------------------------------------------