Lightning Clinch Stanley Cup, End 16-Year Drought

For the first time since 2004, the Tampa Bay Lightning are Stanley Cup Champions.


Despite faltering in Game 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, the Lightning clinched eternal glory on Monday night with a 2-0 victory in Game 6.

The deciding goal came off the stick of young phenom Brayden Point in the opening period, as the Dallas Stars mustered only 22 shots in the series finale.

After falling in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, Monday's victory had to feel particularly sweet for the Lightning, who endured 15 postseason overtime periods -- the most in NHL history -- en route to their second title.

Emerging as the best in a 31-team league is no small feat, and the 2019-2020 NHL season tested this explosive Tampa Bay squad in more ways than one.

After a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lightning secured their spot as the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference following a series of mid-summer Round Robin matchups.

However, a first-round series against the 7-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets immediately proved difficult, as Game 1 became the fourth-longest contest in NHL history.

Poised to avenge their embarrassing postseason defeat in 2019, the Lightning stole that 5OT thriller in the 151st minute, and proceeded to eliminate the Blue Jackets in five games.

And their momentum never fully dissipated.

In the second round, Tampa Bay ousted the 2019 Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins in a double overtime nailbiter -- eliminating a proven, resilient bunch in only five games.

And in the Eastern Conference Finals, it took the Lightning six games to dispose of a young and hungry New York Islanders squad (shout-out to Emily Osment).

However, despite their ability to avoid Game 7 throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, many doubted that the Lightning would sustain their success against an incredibly talented Dallas Stars roster.

Losing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals only added fuel to this proverbial fire.

Could Tampa Bay really win a Stanley Cup without perennial All-Star Steven Stamkos at the helm? The Lightning captain had not taken the ice since February 25, undergoing core muscle surgery in early March.

And while he saw only 2 minutes and 47 seconds of ice-time in this series, Stamkos scored an all-important goal in Game 3 to extend Tampa Bay's advantage and propel them to victory.

Admittedly, the Stars certainly deserve credit for their impressive playoff run in 2020 -- particularly NHL veteran Joe Pavelski, who became the all-time postseason goal leader amongst American born players on Saturday.

Dallas mustered nine comeback victories during their 2020 postseason run, only one shy of the record-holding 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Perhaps the deciding factor of the Stanley Cup Finals can be traced back to the powerplay numbers.

Although there were questionable calls on each side, Tampa Bay finished the series with a 7-for-19 powerplay success rate, while Dallas posted a 1-for-19 mark.

Six goals certainly have the ability to swing a series. And that's exactly what happened here.


What are your thoughts on the 2020 Stanley Cup Champions?

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