TAMPA BAY – Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the New York Rangers and qualified for the Stanley Cup final for the third consecutive season, as Colorado Avelanch rested and was ready for Game 1 (Wednesday, 8 ET, ESPN).
Here are five things we’ve learned about Lightning so far on their post-season trip in 2022 and what they mean for the final battle.
Tritorf is in range
The NHL has not had three teams to win the Stanley Cup since 1983, when the New York Islanders ended their dynasty. Since then, six other teams have won consecutive Stanley Cups. Five of them failed to make it to the second round until Lightning won the East this season.
“You don’t get these chances often. They don’t show up. It’s like we’ve seen the top of the mountain. Let’s keep looking for more,” said Lightning coach John Cooper.
This is a classic Stanley Cup game: Colorado Avelanche, trying to finally break through to win their first Cup of 2001 in a few years as the leading contender; and Lightning, now just four wins from an unprecedented achievement in the NHL payroll era that began in 2005.
“Getting there for the first time was a dream come true. Getting there for the second time was also a dream next year. There was no way we could go back. Going there for the third time is amazing,” Cooper said. “To watch their growth, to watch the pain … I am completely impressed with what they are doing to win a hockey game. No one would accuse them of saying “hey, we won one or two.” But let’s go for a third? I’m so impressed. “
To win a third consecutive Cup, Lightning will have to beat the one that Stamkos considers to be the best team in the NHL.
“Colorado? Probably the best team in the league,” Stamkos said. “As the playoffs progress, each round becomes more difficult and each opponent becomes more difficult. There is a reason for two teams to remain, and that is because they are the two best teams. We will have our hands full.”
(Mostly) old people, the same success
Avalanche face the Lightning team, whose core is essentially the same as the teams that have won consecutive cups.
Colorado Avelanche and Tampa Bay Lightning face the Stanley Cup final. You can watch all seven games on ABC, ESPN + and in the ESPN app.
Game 1: Wed, June 15, 8 ET (@ COL) Game 2: Saturday, June 18, 8 ET (@ COL) Game 3: Monday, June 20, 8 ET (@ TB) Game 4: Wed. , June 22, 8 ET (@ TB) Game 5 *: Friday, June 24, 8 ET (@ COL) Game 6 *: Sun, June 26, 8 ET (@ TB) Game 7 *: Tuesday, June 28, 8 ET (@ COL)
*If necessary
Tampa Bay is powered by stars:
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Center Stephen Stamkos, captain of the team with 481 career goals
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Winger Nikita Kucherov, former MVP in the league and top scorer in the playoffs
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Center Braden Point, who missed almost two rounds due to injury but scored more playoff goals than any other player in the last three postseasons
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Defender Victor Hedman, nominated for six consecutive seasons for the Norris Trophy as the best defender of the NHL and MVP in the playoffs in 2020.
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Defender Ryan McDonough, a permanent veteran
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Goalkeeper Andrej Vasilevski, MVP for the playoffs in 2021
They are backed by returning heroes, including winger Ondrey Palace, who scored two winning goals to prevent overtime against the Rangers; rough strikers Alex Kilorn and Pat Maroon, who is trying to play for his fourth consecutive Cup winner; ace Anthony Sirelli, who closed the Rangers’ top line; and the smooth defense of Mihail Sergachev.
One of the most impressive things about this run? That Lightning has lost its entire check-in line and some key players from the last two Cup wins; replace them with veteran off-season pickups (Corey Perry, Pierre-Edouard Belemare) and acquisitions in the deadline (Brandon Heigl, Nick Paul); and have not missed a single blow.
“We were looking for the right one,” said GM Julien BriseBois. “We are looking for boys who are proud and have ambition. Pride is what will keep you insisting when things don’t go well for you. Ambition will feed your continued success. You are still hungry for more. “
Kucherov is elite
Kucherov is a skilled goal scorer and also has elite playing abilities. Mark LoMolio / NHLI via Getty Images
Avalanche and Lightning have elite skaters who can take over the games. Kucherov is chief among them. Kucherov has 23 points in 17 games, distributed relatively evenly between 5-on-5 and power play. No NHL player has scored more points than Kucherov in the last three postseason. Although his goal-scoring skill is elite, his ability to play and the distribution of goals allow him to score points.
Look no further than the conference finals. His perfect touch pass to Ondrej Palat put the winning goal in match 3, with the whole arena thinking of overtime. In Game 6, his pass to Stamkos, when the captain lined up for the net, created the winning goal in the game and the clinch in the series.
It determines the pace of Lightning. When he is confident and moves insultingly, they pay attention. “You can hear the chatter on the bench as he descends [the ice]. “The boys who know that your best player is ‘involved’ in a great game,” Stamkos said.
If Lightning win a third consecutive Stanley Cup, it may be Kucherov’s turn to lift the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP in the playoffs.
Can Avs defeat Vasilevski?
2 Related
Colorado took a few goal breaks this postseason. The Nashville Predators did not have injured starter Jose Saros. The St. Louis Blues lost reviving Jordan Binington to injury in Game 3. And Edmonton Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith was … well, Mike Smith.
Opposing goalkeepers have a combined save rate of .886 against Avalanche this postseason. But with the exception of something unforeseen, Avalanche will face its toughest race in the Stanley Cup final – and the player that many consider the best goalkeeper in the world.
The post-season did not start well for Vassilevski, as he scored 22 goals in seven games for the high-octane Toronto Maple Leafs. But he was great when he mattered the most, stopping 30 of 31 shots in Game 7. Outside of hiccups in Game 1 against Rangers, after a nine-day break, Vassilevski was absolutely dominant. As coach John Cooper said, he regained his power as the playoffs continued.
In Vasilevski, Avalanche faces one of the greatest post-season goalkeepers in NHL history. Not only how good he is, but also when he is in his best form: In 23 previous series with clinches, Vassilevski had 1.65 goals – an average of six and excluded. A third consecutive Stanley Cup could solidify his legacy as one of the best so far.
“When we look back, when we grow up, it’s going to be something that will stay there for a long time. It’s pretty cool to play with a player who’s going to be one of the best people ever played in the game,” Kilorn said. “That’s how you evaluate players: how they play in big matches. He was nothing but great in these games.
This champion adaptability
Avs have not faced a goalkeeper close to the caliber of Andrei Vassilevski this postseason. Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
During their run to the final, the Avalanche were a team that could win a match 8-6 as comfortably as it could win a 4-0 elimination. In fact, they did both in the same series against the Edmonton Oilers. As Colorado star Nathan McKinnon said, Avalanche can play offensively at home and then play “boring and rough” hockey on the road to slow down teams.
The Avalanche cooks according to a recipe created by Lightning in its last two championship seasons. Tampa Bay has offensive players to go goal-to-goal with Avalanche, who lead the playoffs with 4.64 goals per game. But Lightning also have the ability to win 1-0, with veteran players embodying the patient balance needed to do so.
“I think it’s just faith in yourself and faith in the work you put in. But trust is the word. We trust every person who goes through these boards to get the job done. Whether you score a goal or not, the little things are what you do. This is protection. This is blocked strokes. This is the victim. This is not a complaint about your role. You go out and play as hard as you can for the person sitting next to you in this locker room, “Stamkos said.
“That’s why this group is so special. We don’t know what’s going to happen here in the next 10-14 days. But we know we’re going to do our best.”
There’s no way to say how a series will develop before it’s played, but it’s no surprise that the Stanley Cup final will be a battle between the Colorado attack and the variety of ways Lightning will try to defend it. . They have Vassilevski as their backbone. They have Hedman and McDonagh, who play nearly 47 minutes of the match between them. They have a newly formed line of scrutiny with Hagel, Sirelli and Killorn, who dominated the Rangers at 5-on-5, and a collection of strikers who are proud to defend themselves with all necessary means.
“Is it contagious?” It happens. God forbid you look at a man [block a shot] and then you have a chance to do it. You come to the bench and it’s not a fun place if you don’t want to do it. So the boys are lined up in that regard, “Cooper said.” That’s the story with us for a few years. It’s kind of embedded in our culture. “
Champion culture and one that should lead to an exclusive final for the Stanley Cup against Avalanche.
Stamkos said the Avalanche are a team Lightning is expected to play for the Stanley Cup. Colorado failed to advance to the second round in three consecutive seasons.
“It simply came to our notice then. They have just an amazing combination of veterans, star power, grinders, a goalkeeper. “It’s a big challenge for us,” Stamkos said. “We know how we have to play. It’s no secret that they have several electric players.”
Like the Lightning. They can run and shoot. But most likely their defense can make the difference between becoming the sixth team since 1983, which fails to …
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