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Dose: Stamkos not stumbling

What does this weekend have in store for us?

The NHL usually has a slight lead on the NBA when it comes to a championship round, but the gap is small this year, and it looks like basketball’s third round will end before hockey’s for one main reason: competition.


Both NBA series could end in sweeps, as the Cavaliers and Warriors currently hold 3-0 leads. Conversely, both NHL series became “best of threes” as each one was tied 2-2. (Game 5 for the East happened last night, obviously.)


Does this make the NHL better than the NBA? No, not necessarily, but I don’t think there’s much sense denying the superior competition so far. There’s more drama in these conference finals, so hockey fans should enjoy it while it lasts.


If you missed Saturday’s Dose, check it out here. You can also read Sunday’s edition via this link.


Don't forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's up to the minute coverage on Player News, as well as follow@Rotoworld_HK and @cyclelikesedins on Twitter.


LIGHTNING 2, RANGERS 0


-- Man, Steve Stamkos is just on fire right now. By scoring at least one goal in four straight games, Stamkos tied a Tampa Bay franchise record. It's been more than just a tally per contest, too, as he has seven points overall in this run.


Henrik Lundqvist's stopped him with a few brazen glove saves, too, so one can only speculate if Stamkos might have scored even more against a lesser goalie.


-- Ben Bishop bounced back nicely in Game 5, stopping all 26 shots. He didn't really need to make a ton of tough saves, but it was still a nice confidence-booster.


-- Stamkos' goal just seemed unfair. Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov sent some great passes Stamkos' way for his tap-in tally.


-- It's too bad that Valtteri Filppula doesn't shoot more often, as he boasts the skill to score nice goals. Then again, his name is tricky to spell, so maybe proofreaders gain enough that everyone wins, really.


-- Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman gained a lot of praise for their defensive play, and with good reason. Stralman had an assist and created some nice chances while Hedman's all-around play may earn him a Norris someday.


-- Matt Carle returned to action ... and almost set up Martin St. Louis for a "one-timer." He was pretty shaky, in other words, but Bishop & Co. were able to clean up the messes.


-- Braydon Coburn didn't play after the first period, but apparently he was sick, not injured. So that's good, even if it sounds like it made for a smelly bench.


-- Brian Boyle blocked five shots, and some of them looked brutal. He's basically Bishop-height, so imagine trying to get a shot through both of them.


-- Decent action for a low-scoring game, although there were slow stretches. The Lightning probably needed to show that they can win "this type" of game, even if they've done it before (like Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens).


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