In front of an empty Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Tampa Bay Lightning avenged their shocking 2019 playoff exit with a Stanley Cup victory, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games on the backs of a 2-0 win.
After a thrilling double overtime victory from the Stars in Game 5, the Lightning bounced back with a defensive masterpiece, holding the Stars to just 8 shots in the first 40 minutes, with Andrei Vasilevski notching his first shutout of the 2020 playoffs in a 22-save performance. Brayden Point and Blake Coleman notched the two goals for Tampa, while Conn Smythe winner Victor Hedman was named the game’s #1 star for shutting down the potent Stars offense that fought back time after time throughout the postseason.
The win marks the Lightning’s second Stanley Cup, their only other title coming in 2004. The Lightning, who returned to the Finals for the first time since 2015, saw 21 IHLC champions from six countries on their roster hoist the Cup, including captain Steven Stamkos, who only managed one period of play during these playoffs due to injury; assistant captains Ryan McDonagh and Smythe Trophy winner Hedman; Nikita Kucherov, who set a record with 27 assists throughout these playoffs; and star goaltender Vasilevski, winning a record 18 games in this unique playoff.
Our congratulations go out to the players, management and fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, with those on the roster that have also held the IHLC highlighted in bold:
| ๐บ๐ธ Zach Bogosian, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Julien BriseBois, general manager ๐ธ๐ฐ Erik ฤernรกk, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Anthony Cirelli, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Braydon Coburn, defence ๐บ๐ธ Blake Coleman, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Jon Cooper, head coach ๐จ๐ฆ Jean-Philippe Cรดtรฉ, director ๐จ๐ฆ Mathieu Darche, director ๐จ๐ฆ Barclay Goodrow, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Yanni Gourde, forward ๐บ๐ธ Jeff Halpern, assistant coach ๐ธ๐ช Victor Hedman, defence ๐บ๐ธ Tyler Johnson, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Mathieu Joseph, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Alex Killorn, forward ๐ท๐บ Nikita Kucherov, forward ๐บ๐ธ Patrick Maroon, forward |
๐บ๐ธ Ryan McDonagh, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Curtis McElhinney, goaltender ๐จ๐ฆ Al Murray, assistant GM ๐จ๐ฟ Ondลej Palรกt, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Cedric Paquette, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Brayden Point, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Jamie Pushor, assistant GM ๐บ๐ธ Todd Richards, assistant coach ๐จ๐ฆ Stacy Roest, assistant GM ๐จ๐ฟ Jan Rutta, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Luke Schenn, defence ๐ท๐บ Mikhail Sergachyov, defence ๐บ๐ธ Kevin Shattenkirk, defence ๐จ๐ฆ Steven Stamkos, forward ๐จ๐ฆ Mitchell Stephens, forward ๐ท๐บย Andrei Vasilevski, goaltender ๐จ๐ฆ Carter Verhaeghe, forward ๐ท๐บ Alexander Volkov, forward |
Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Lightningย – IIHF โ HHOF โ IOC
