Lightning To Almost Certainly Repeat As NHL Champions

The Tampa Bay Lightning by virtue of a second straight year Friday night final round win that was their third in the entity, are almost certain to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions and a 7 to 5 favorite to complete the first Cup final sweep since 1998.

Tyler Johnson, somehow with the excellent T.B. coach, Jon Cooper for 10 straight seasons, had 2 goals while greats, Nikita Kucherov and last year’s Conn Smythe winner, Victor Hedman each had a goal and an assist in the Lightning “doubling” of the Montreal Canadiens (6-3) in #3, giving the defending champions a truly commanding (3-0) final round lead.

Last year in the “Edmonton bubble, the Lightning won a game 4 Friday night final round tilt on Kevin Shattenkirk’s (he is no longer with T.B, however, Pat Maroon still is. Mr. Maroon is almost certain to play on a third Cup winner in 3 seasons, the first with the Blues and the next 2 with the Lightning. I know Bill Skowron, with the somewhat similar sounding to Maroon, nickname of “Moose,” played on 2 straight Yankees’ title teams and then on the ’63 Dodgers who swept the Yankees in the W.S) overtime goal to take a (3-1) final round lead. The “tail wags the dog” schedule called for a game 5 the next night, which Dallas won to force a 6th game, on the following Monday.

The Lightning won their second title that Monday night, each won on a Monday. They will seek a third “Monday clinched title” 2 days hence as this year, “wag the dog” yielded an extra day off, though #4, as was the case with #3, will be played before 3500 fans in Montreal.

Tyler Johnson, pictured above.