Going into the season many of the best online sportsbooks had the Tampa Bay Lightning fighting to stay out of the draft lottery. However, through the first quarter of the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning look to make the online betting world a much wealthier place for their fans as they have been one of the hottest teams in the league.

Led by some of the best young talent in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning has at the very least, on paper been one of the best teams in the league for a few years. Yet ever since drafting team point’s leader and NHL scoring leader Steven Stamkos in 2008, the Lightning have been in rebuild mode. From different coaching staffs, to three different ownership groups, the Lightning has been a team players look to avoid signing with as opposed to flocking to.

With that said, the 2010 to 2011 Tampa Bay Lightning if they continue to play hot, should be considered the Eastern Conference best chance at winning a Stanley Cup. The Lightning is led by General Manager Steve Yzerman and rookie Head Coach Guy Boucher. This duo has thus far been the perfect fit for Tampa Bay, as every where they have gone, they have been winners.

Yzerman as many of you know was the heart and soul of the Detroit Red Wings franchise, winning three Stanley Cups during his tenor with the team as a player and one in management. After years of being groomed by Ken Holland, Yzerman accepted the job as the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Who could blame him? The Lightning have some of the best talent in the league, as along with Stamkos, the team also includes, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Steve Downie, Victor Hedman and a goaltending duo in Dan Ellis and Mike Smith which gives other teams fits. The Lightning will be the 2010 – 2011 Stanley Cup Champions.