The Italian national team was not in the most difficult group, along with Switzerland, Wales and Turkey. Two victories with the same 3:0 score over Switzerland and Turkey brought Roberto Mancini’s team to the playoffs. In the fight with Wales, the coach of Scuadra Azzurra used a large-scale rotation, but this did not prevent Italy from gaining a 1:0 victory and confidently winning their group. In the first match of the playoffs, the Italians met with Austria. Despite the fact that the Austrians were considered the clear outsiders of the meeting, they managed to fight the favorite and defend a goalless draw in regulation time. However, the Italians scored twice in extra times and allowed Austria to score one goal. This was enough to win and reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals “Scuadra Azzurra” met with Belgium, in the confrontation with which it could no longer be considered a clear favorite. However, they managed to completely outplay the powerful rival. Even in the first half Italy scored two goals, conceding in response from a controversial penalty, but they managed to keep the victory without much difficulty.
Tampa was initially the favorite of the tournament and showed their superiority over opponents throughout the playoffs. But Lights managed to prove themselves from the best side at the most important stage, in the final. The team defeated Montreal in three games in a row, leaving no chance for the opponent to get revenge. The Lightning’s main strength has always been performance, which also played an important role in the final series. The team scored as many as 14 goals in three fights, which is quite a lot even for the NHL. Tampa needed to put the squeeze on Montreal in order not to give the opponent a chance for a comeback. More NHL win predictions can be obtained from the link provided.
