It's the final post of the hockey season, as the Stanley Cup Finals play out between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens.
Game 1: Andrei Vasilevkiy and Carey Price tend the twines. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with an Erik Cernak goal, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. The Lightning added on in the second period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Montreal got on the board with a Ben Chiarot goal, via Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Shea Weber. Tampa Bay replied in the third period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning extended the lead as Kucherov scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason, thanks to Point. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-1 with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his eighth of the playoffs, powered by Kucherov and Point. The three stars were Kucherov, Point, and Vasilevskiy (18 for 19 in saves).
Game 2: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price are the masked men. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Tyler Johnson and Jan Rutta. Montreal tied it on a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Lightning took the lead back with a Blake Coleman goal, his second of the postseason, via Barclay Goodrow and Ryan McDonagh. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the playoffs, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (42 for 43 in saves), Coleman, and Palat. The Lightning head north leading the series 2-0.
Game 3: Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Jan Rutta goal, his second of the postseason, via Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with a Hedman power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. Montreal got on the board with a Phillip Danault goal, guided in by Shea Weber. The Lightning replied in the second period with a Kucherov goal, his eighth of the postseason, assisted by Palat and Erik Cernak. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Tyler Johnson scored his third of the playoffs, passed from Mathieu Joseph and David Savard. The Canadiens got one back with a Nick Suzuki goal, his seventh of the postseason, coming off of Jeff Petry and Cole Caufield. Tampa Bay shot back in the third period with Johnson's second goal of the game and fourth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Montreal got one back with a Corey Perry goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Brendan Gallagher and Ben Chiarot. The Lightning iced it at 6-3 with a Blake Coleman empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Johnson, Kucherov, and Hedman, while Palat gets an honorable mention. The Lightning are on the verge of a second straight Stanley Cup, leading the series 3-0.
Game 4: Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Montreal opened in the first period with a Josh Anderson goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period on a Barclay Goodrow goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Blake Coleman. The Canadiens retook the lead in the third period with an Alexander Romanov goal, passed from Jake Evans. The Lightning tied it again with a Pat Maroon goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Mathieu Joseph and Tyler Johnson. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with an Anderson goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Caufield. The three stars were Anderson, Caufield, and Price (32 for 34 in saves). The Lightning still lead the series 3-1 with a chance to win on home ice ahead.
Game 5: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price are between the pipes. Tampa Bay dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Ross Colton goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of David Savard and Ryan McDonagh. This was all they needed for a 1-0 win to secure the Stanley Cup with a 4-1 series win. The Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff MVP was awarded to Vasilevskiy, who had a 22-save shutout as his fifth shutout during these playoffs.
With that, the NHL season has come to a close. Once again, I appreciate all that have stopped by to read through a day's worth of hockey action. As time goes on, I find myself having less and less time to be able to keep up with this blog. A short offseason is ahead, and I will take some time to think about continuing on with this project. If not, it's been a great ride in the last 12 years or so. I remain involved in hockey as a fantasy writer at Rotowire, which is my primary focus now, while also working on baseball there. Enjoy the offseason and if I'm back in October, I'll be around for the whole season.
