Game Five: Lightning Strikes in the Same Place Twice

Those who say lightning never strikes in the same place twice...they haven't watched the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning only needed Ross Colton's 2nd period goal, and Andrei Vasilevskiy being a brick wall yet again to capture their third Stanley Cup in franchise history, and their second straight. Vasilevskiy captured the Conn Smythe Trophy, and it was definitely earned. His numbers in this year's playoffs: 16-7, five shutouts (three of them in the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Final), a .930 save percentage, and a GAA of 1.90. WOW! That's supernatural goaltending!

Nikita Kucherov led with 32 points (8 G/24 A), Brayden Point scored 14 goals, Steven Stamkos had 18 points of his own (8 G/10 A), and Victor Hedman (one of the finalists for the Norris this year) also had 18 to lead defensemen (2 G/16 A). The main number on this team, however, is 3. For Pat Maroon, this is his third straight Stanley Cup. Maroon was on the Blues' championship season, and followed it with back-to-back Cups with the Lightning. The Lightning also got to clinch their Cup at home, becoming the first team to win the Cup on home ice since the Chicago Blackhawks did so in 2015 (which was, ironically, against the Lightning).

For the Lightning, this was a huge comeback story. To think that this team, just two years ago, was on the receiving end of an embarrassing playoff exit. A 62-win season turning into a nightmare, as the Lightning were swept by a Columbus Blue Jackets team who had never won a playoff series entering that year. They went from rock bottom that year to a potential dynasty two years later. Winning back-to-back Stanley Cups is very difficult; the Lightning are only the second team to do it since 1999 (the Penguins won in 2016 and 2017). No team has won three in a row since the New York Islanders won four straight between 1980 and 1983. Next season will tell the tale.

Now to the Montréal Canadiens. This was, by far, their best season in a long time. This was a season that saw them exceed expectations and shock the hockey world. The Habs turned heads throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs; a team that wasn't expected to win one playoff game ended up winning thirteen of them. Here are the playoff numbers:

Nick Suzuki led the team in goals (7) and points (16). Tyler Toffoli had 14 points of his own (5 G/9 A), Cole Caufield's first postseason saw him rack up a dozen points (4 G/8 A), and even Corey Perry produced with 10 points (4 G/6 A). Josh Anderson scored five goals, including two OT winners, with one of them being in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final. Six of the Habs' 13 wins were in overtime, and they have one person to thank for that run: Carey Price. Price's numbers: 13-9, one shutout, a .924 save percentage, and a GAA of 2.28. Without Price, this doesn't happen. Overall, this was a run that will have a lot of hockey fans (myself included) talking for years to come.

The Canadiens will return to the Atlantic Division next year, and that means they will continue to deal with the Lightning. The sentiment among fans is that the Canadiens only got in the playoffs and got this far because of the all-Canadian North Division, yet those same people still cannot explain how they defeated the heavyweight Vegas Golden Knights. To me, this season showed that the Canadiens had the potential to make waves. They fell three wins short of a Cup. That doesn't happen by accident. This team is now a serious threat.

And so ends a short but very sweet and interesting NHL season. I enjoyed this immensely, and next season should be very intriguing with the regular divisions back, as well as the debut of the Seattle Kraken.

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