,
Mike Brehm
| Detroit Free Press
In April 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning skated off the ice, victims of a stunning first-round sweep by the Columbus Blue Jackets after a 62-win season.
Monday, they stayed on the ice after the end of Game 6 to lift the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.
A 2-0 victory against the Dallas Stars completed the redemption tour as the Lightning went 16-6 after the round robin to win the NHL championship for the first time since 2004.
“Sometimes in failure, you find success,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told Sportsnet after the game. “It doesn’t come easy. People say you never know when you’re going to go back. I truly believe it was the heartbreak we suffered that brought us here today.”
Last season’s shocker showed that skill alone was not enough to win a Cup, so general manager Julien BriseBois got busy, adding grit in forwards Pat Maroon and Barclay Goodrow and depth in forward Blake Coleman and defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn.
That allowed them to get past the Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Stars despite getting only five shifts from captain Steven Stamkos.
But in the end, the Lightning won a championship because their stars performed like stars this postseason.
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs
(*-if necessary; all game times are Eastern Time)
Stanley Cup final
(Rogers Place, Edmonton)
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Dallas Stars
Game 1: Stars 4, Lightning 1
Game 2: Lightning 3, Stars 2
Game 3: Lightning 5, Stars 2
Game 4: Lightning 5, Stars 4 (OT)
Game 5: Stars 3, Lightning 2 (2OT)
Game 6: Lightning 2, Stars vs. 8, NBC
Conference finals
East (Scotiabank Arena, Toronto)
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (6) N.Y. Islanders
Game 1: Lightning 8, Islanders 2
Game 2: Lightning 2, Islanders 1
Game 3: Islanders 5, Lightning 3
Game 4: Lightning 4, Islanders 1
Game 5: Islanders 2, Lightning 1 (2OT)
Game 6: Lightning 2, Islanders 1 (OT)
West (Rogers Place, Edmonton)
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (3) Dallas Stars
Game 1: Stars 1, Golden Knights 0
Game 2: Golden Knights 3, Stars 0
Game 3: Stars 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT)
Game 4: Stars 2, Golden Knights 1
Game 5: Stars 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT)
Conference semifinals
East (Scotiabank Arena, Toronto)
(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New York Islanders
Game 1: Islanders 4, Flyers 0
Game 2: Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (OT)
Game 3: Islanders 3, Flyers 1
Game 4: Islanders 3, Flyers 2
Game 5: Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (OT)
Game 6: Flyers 5, Islanders 4 (2OT)
Game 7: Islanders 4, Flyers 0
(2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (4) Boston Bruins
Game 1: Bruins 3, Lightning 2
Game 2: Lightning 4, Bruins 3
Game 3: Lightning 7, Bruins 1
Game 4: Lightning 3, Bruins 1
Game 5: Lightning 3, Bruins 2 (2OT)
West (Rogers Place, Edmonton)
(1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (5) Vancouver Canucks
Game 1: Golden Knights 5, Canucks 0
Game 2: Canucks 5, Golden Knights 2
Game 3: Golden Knights 3, Canucks 0
Game 4: Golden Knights 5, Canucks 3
Game 5: Canucks 2, Golden Knights 1
Game 6: Canucks 4, Golden Knights 0
Game 7: Golden Knights 3, Canucks 0
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (3) Dallas Stars
Game 1: Stars 5, Avalanche 3
Game 2: Stars 5, Avalanche 2
Game 3: Avalanche 6, Stars 4
Game 4: Stars 5, Avalanche 4
Game 5: Avalanche 6, Stars 3
Game 6: Avalanche 4, Stars 1
Game 7: Stars 5, Avalanche 4 (OT)
First round
Eastern Conference (Scotiabank Arena, Toronto)
No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1: Philadelphia 2, Montreal 1
Game 2: Montreal 5, Philadelphia 0
Game 3: Philadelphia 1, Montreal 0
Game 4: Philadelphia 2, Montreal 0
Game 5: Montreal 5, Philadelphia 3
Game 6: Philadelphia 3, Montreal 2
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 1: Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2 (5OT)
Game 2: Columbus 3, Tampa Bay 1
Game 3: Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2
Game 4: Tampa Bay 2, Columbus 1
Game 5: Tampa Bay 5, Columbus 4 (OT)
No. 3 Washington Capitals vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Game 1: NY Islanders 4, Washington 2
Game 2: NY Islanders 5, Washington 2
Game 3: NY Islanders 2, Washington 1 (OT)
Game 4: Washington 3, NY Islanders 2
Game 5: NY Islanders 4, Washington 0
No. 4 Boston Bruins vs. No. 5 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1: Boston 4, Carolina 3 (2OT)
Game 2: Carolina 3, Boston 2
Game 3: Boston 3, Carolina 1
Game 4: Boston 4, Carolina 3
Game 5: Boston 2, Carolina 1
Western Conference (Rogers Place, Edmonton)
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks
Game 1: Vegas 4, Chicago 1
Game 2: Vegas 4, Chicago 3 (OT)
Game 3: Vegas 2, Chicago 1
Game 4: Chicago 3, Vegas 1
Game 5: Vegas 4, Chicago 3
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 7 Arizona Coyotes
Game 1: Colorado 3, Arizona 0
Game 2: Colorado 3, Arizona 2
Game 3: Arizona 4, Colorado 2
Game 4: Colorado 7, Arizona 1
Game 5: Colorado 7, Arizona 1
No. 3 Dallas Stars vs. No. 6 Calgary Flames
Game 1: Calgary 3, Dallas 2
Game 2: Dallas 5, Calgary 4
Game 3: Calgary 2, Dallas 0
Game 4: Dallas 5, Calgary 4 (OT)
Game 5: Dallas 2, Calgary 1
Game 6: Dallas 7, Calgary 3
No. 4 St. Louis Blues vs. No. 5 Vancouver Canucks
Game 1: Vancouver 5, St. Louis 2
Game 2: Vancouver 4, St. Louis 3 (OT)
Game 3: St. Louis 3, Vancouver 2 (OT)
Game 4: St. Louis 3, Vancouver 1
Game 5: Vancouver 4, St. Louis 3
Game 6: Vancouver 6, St. Louis 2