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Lightning, Flyers set to play for No. 1 seed in Eastern Conference

If Tampa Bay wins Saturday's game, it gets Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. It it loses, it awaits the winner of the Columbus-Toronto series.
 
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask makes a save against Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov Wednesday in Toronto.
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask makes a save against Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov Wednesday in Toronto. [ NATHAN DENETTE | Associated Press ]
Published Aug. 7, 2020|Updated Aug. 8, 2020

The Lightning have something to play for in their final round-robin game. Their matchup against the Flyers on Saturday determines the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Philadelphia enters the game (8 p.m., NBC, 970-AM) with the same 2-0 record as Tampa Bay in the round robin for playoff seeding. The Flyers defeated the Capitals 3-1 on Thursday and the Bruins 4-1 on Sunday.

Philadelphia has a full team with all the pieces working together cohesively. It doesn’t have many stars, but that’s part of the Flyers’ success. Everyone is forced to step up.

The Lightning are the only team in the conference that the Flyers did not pick up at least one point against during the abbreviated regular season.

With the teams resuming the season in bubble cities because of the coronavirus, getting the No. 1 seed doesn’t have the typical benefits it would bring in a normal postseason, such as home-ice advantage through at least the conference playoffs. But teams designated as the home teams still set matchups with the last line change, which Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said is worth noting.

“For us, it’s all about gaining momentum going into the playoffs,” Hedman said. “That’s where we go in with the mentality (Saturday) is to win the game and continue to work on the things we need to improve on and keep doing the things that we’ve been doing good so far.”

Looking ahead

Friday was a busy day for the league. Six teams faced elimination in the playoff qualifiers.

In the Eastern Conference, the Islanders defeated the Panthers 5-1, winning the best-of-five series 3-1 to make the 16-team playoffs. The Canadiens also earned a playoff spot, beating the Penguins 2-0 to win the series 3-1.

The Maple Leafs, facing elimination against the Blue Jackets, came back from 3-0 down in the last four minutes of regulation and won 4-3 in overtime to force Game 5 in that series Sunday.

What that means for the Lightning is if they win Saturday, they get the No. 1 seed and face the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, which begins next week. If the Lightning lose Saturday, they get the No. 2 seed and face the Jackets-Leafs winner.

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.