Wednesday Stanley Cup Playoffs: Thiessen picks Lightning at Islanders, with Tampa Bay looking to clinch

Tampa Bay looks to head off to second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance

Well, the best team in the NHL over the last half decade is now one win away from a repeat trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, who are the defending champions, are looking for their third trip to the finals since the start of the 2014-15 season. Two other times in those seven years the Lightning lost in the conference finals.

Monday night, Tampa Bay looked every bit the juggernaut most people thought they would be all season in an 8-0 win over New York.

This Islanders team, who lost to Tampa Bay last year in six games in the same spot, is very good. But Tampa is just better, and I have a feeling the Lightning are about to get white hot.

Tampa Bay wins the series in six (my prediction by the way) and gears up for the winner of the other series.

Check Fubo.TV for schedules

NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Tampa Bay (-155) at New York (+128), 8 p.m. EDT (NBCSN and Fubo.TV), TB leads 3-2

THE PICK:

Tampa Bay three-way ML (+110)

Tampa Bay over 3 goals (+140)

CORRECT SCORE BETS:

Tampa Bay 4-2