The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup for a second consecutive season with a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the finals.
The Lightning will be able to celebrate in front of a raucous home crowd at Amalie Arena this time.
Ross Colton, a depth forward, surprised everyone by scoring the game-winning goal in the second period by out-hustling a big defender to the front of the net.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who recorded his fifth straight series-clinching shutout, deservedly won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The loss of goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who was killed in a pyrotechnics accident over the weekend, has devastated the Columbus Blue Jackets and the entire hockey community.
This is the Third Stanley Cup in the Franchise’s History
The team won its first Stanley Cup in 2004, and it won its second in a shootout the following season.
Since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, no team has been able to repeat as champions like the Lightning have done so this year.
The Lightning’s second period goals were scored by Ross Colton. Ryan McDonagh picked up the puck at the blue line after a scrum along the boards and passed it to David Savard.
His defensive partner. Soon after, Savard sent a pinpoint feed to Colton’s stick at the top of the crease, setting up an easy tap-in goal.
One Huge Difference for Tampa Bay in Game 3 Was its Energy Level
The early vigour with which Tampa Bay played Game 3 was a key differentiator. Although the Lightning were outscored 6-1 (and outshot 26-13) in the first periods of Games 1 and 2.
They were able to hold a 2-1 lead after one period thanks in part to a disallowed goal, and they ultimately won the game with a flurry of goals in the second period.
Tampa Bay needs to avoid a slow start if they want to continue their postseason success, as they are 7-1 when leading after the first period (and 25-3 over the past three playoffs).
But just 1-5 this season (and 3-12 since 2020) while trailing. Despite their reputation as a high-scoring offence.
The Lightning have built their dynasty on defence, and they are at their best when jumping out to an early lead and wearing down their opponent.
Conclusion
For the third time in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning have dropped the first game of a series.
That’s why none of the seasoned veterans are freaking out despite losing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in overtime by a score of 4-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on a Wednesday night.
The Avalanche finished with the best record in the Western Conference, and the Bolts fell behind 3-1 in the first period, giving the impression that they were slower than the opposition.
