Yes, and we’ll have a better chance of going far if the Florida teams spend time beating each other up in round 1. That’s in jeopardy as long as Tampa has a chance to pass us.
And don’t give me the odds of how unlikely that is. What were the odds the Leafs would blow a 4-1 lead in the third in game 7? The odds we’d blow a playoff spot with an 8 game losing streak in 2014? The odds we’d lose to a Zamboni driver? The odds we’d blow a 3-1 series lead to the Habs?
This franchise lives to defy the odds in a bad way. Any tiny advantage we can get is most welcome, and we will very much lose one if Florida goes into Tampa not only on a back to back, but unmotivated to try and take points from them.