Lightning “Strikes” A Stanley Cup Title

The Tampa Bay Lightning, so good starting in 2015, but denied in the 5 playoffs (’15-’19) under now title winning coach, Jon Cooper, “lowlighted” by a humiliating first round sweep after a truly great “reg” last season, won their second title and first since ’04, clinching it with a (2-0) win vs the Dallas Stars, in game 6 of The Cup final last night.

Brayden Point had the so, if not all important, first goal of the tilt, his 14th of these ‘offs which led all players. It was close among a few Lightning players, but I would have given Point the Conn Smythe Trophy, as the outstanding player of the ‘offs, but instead the honor went to an established great player, Victor Hedman.

Certainly netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped all 22 Stars’ shots on goal in the clincher or the superb player, Nikita Kucherov, (he led scorers with 27 points, Hedman had 26 while Point had plurals of his surname–adding 10 assists to his 14 goals.

Blake Coleman had the other “T.B.” goal in the clincher with Pat Maroon making a fine play to set up the goal.

Maroon became the 9th player to play on Stanley Cup winners with two different teams, in consecutive seasons. One of those players, Joe Wash was on both the ’07 Ducks and ’08 Red Wings but did not meet the criterion to get his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup.

A tremendous player, (a show I was listening to yielded “tremendous,” as I wrote same), the Stars’ Joe Pavelski, was second to Point in goals, but is denied for a second time in a 6 game final (the Penguins denied Pavelski’s San Jose Sharks in ’16) leaving the 14 year veteran, as one of the better players, sans a Cup title.

All 3 Lightning final round series have ended on a Monday night.

The Lightning (2-1) in final round play, raised the Tampa Bay final round record to (3-2).

Do not look now, but the Tampa Rays are the A.L. “1” seed, which actually means little but they had a fine (40-20) season and a “man named Brady” and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the NFC South with a (2-1) record. The upcoming Supe is in Tampa. Nah!!