Burns: 3 Things we learned from returning to the Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning are going back to the Stanley Cup Final to defend their championship.
The Lightning will meet the Montreal Canadiens in the Cup Final with a chance to become just the third time in the last 30 years to go back-to-back after shutting out the New York Islanders 1-0 in Game 7 of the Semifinal Round Friday at AMALIE Arena.
The Lightning shrugged off a Game 6 setback, when they gave up a two-goal lead and allowed the Islanders to extend the series following an overtime victory.
A lesser team might have been overcome by the enormity of the situation, by the heartbreaking fashion in which they lost two nights earlier on Long Island.
But the Lightning are a team with resolve.
They're one with championship pedigree.
And they're one that simply wasn't going to be denied, particularly at home playing in front of their crazed fans.

"It took a lot to get here," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "The heartbreak in 2015, getting all the way to the Final and losing. And then 2016 going to Game 7 against Pittsburgh and losing that one. 2018 against Barry Trotz coaching (Washington). He beat us in Game 7 in this building. The heartbreak to Columbus in 2019, it was all building blocks to getting to here. And you can't predict that it's going to happen, but that's why the vision of everybody in this organization, knowing that we could do this. We haven't won the Stanley Cup this year. We're chasing it just like Montreal is, but to be down to the final two in back-to-back years, it's a pretty remarkable accomplishment. We talked about, hey, it's all well and good to one day put on your gravestone that you won a Stanley Cup. But to do it two years in a row, multiple times, you're talking about now your team is special. Years down the road, they say, well, that Tampa team was a hell of a team, and I think you could really put a stamp on that if you win another one."
The Lightning will begin that quest to cement themselves as a "hell of a team" when they begin the Stanley Cup Final Monday at home versus Montreal.

1. THE SHORTEST GUY ON THE ICE SCORES SHORTHANDED
The way Game 7 was unfolding, the scoreless first period, both teams defending brilliantly, doing everything possible to keep pucks away from their own net, you knew whoever scored first was going to have a better-than-average chance to emerge from Game 7 victorious.
Early in the second period, it appeared maybe the Islanders would be the team to score it. Barclay Goodrow was whistled for cross-checking, ironic considering the cross-check that kept Nikita Kucherov from playing all but 46 seconds of Game 6 went undetected. The Islanders would get the only power play of Game 7. Here was their chance to break through Andrei Vasilevskiy's impenetrable defense shield.
And then the Lightning penalty kill went out and took over the game and scored the only goal.
The Islanders set up in the zone. They sent a few shots at the Lightning net. But the Bolts made sure to block them away. They finished with 21 blocked shots, including a team high-tying five by Ryan McDonagh, who now has 353 career playoff blocked shots, passing Brooks Orpik for second-most all-time in NHL playoff history (the League has only started counting blocked shots in recent times).
"I think we had two or three great blocked shots," Gourde said of the early work by the PK. "I think that goal doesn't happen if those guys don't go down and block those shots."
McDonagh made a read to gain possession of the puck in the defensive zone. He sent a pass up ahead to Alex Killorn in the neutral zone, and Killorn touched a pass up ahead for Anthony Cirelli.
Seeing space in front of him, Cirelli carried the puck into the offensive zone, taking it down to the right corner, drawing three Islanders his way. Yanni Gourde hopped off the bench, and Cirelli saw him, sending a pass through the legs of Josh Bailey for the wide-open Gourde entering the zone.
Gourde got the puck at the right hash marks, and in one quick motion shoveled a shot at the net that beat Semyon Varlamov, who was not able to react in time.
"Tony dragged three guys to him and put it in a slot for me, and I just shot it as quick as I could," Gourde said. "I was fortunate enough to get the goal there."
Gourde scored the first shorthanded goal in a Game 7 in Lightning history and became just the 10thplayer in the NHL to do so over the last 25 years. He's the sixth player in NHL history to score a shorthanded winning goal in a Game 7.
The Islanders didn't give up one shorthanded goal during the regular season.
They picked an inopportune time to have a breakdown in the postseason.
The Lightning penalty kill didn't get near the publicity as the Bolts' high-flying power play did in the series. But it was that special teams unit that came up largest on the grandest stage. Tampa Bay's penalty kill went 94.1 percent in the Semifinal Round, giving up just one goal over 17 times shorthanded. That includes a lengthy 5-on-3 the Islanders had in Game 6 they couldn't convert.
"It's so damn hard to win in this league," Cooper said. "But, last year, I just found out we could win in different ways. But in the end, just the warrior mentality this group had, and it was prevalent tonight. After a really tough loss the other night, you just can't count them out."

2. A TEXTBOOK GAME 7
The Lightning have learned how to close out series since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2020.
There was the 4-0 shutout of the Florida Panthers in Game 6 to move past the First Round. They blanked Carolina 2-0 in Raleigh in Game 5 to get into the Semifinals.
Game 7 against the Islanders was another example of just how good this Lightning team can be when it's committed to playing within their structure and defending as one unit.
"Just great effort by the whole team," Andrei Vasilevskiy said. "Just great block and, again, after the goal, we just kept pushing and closed the door. The last game we tried to defend in Game 6 and this game we attacked the whole game, the whole way. That was just a textbook Game 7."
Where the Lightning lost Game 6 was all they could do was defend and the puck stayed in their own end for nearly the duration of the third period, the Islanders able to tie the game on Scott Mayfield's goal with a little more than eight minutes to go. That's not Tampa Bay's style. The Lightning can't only defend. They have to play with the puck too. Having the puck buried in your own end, no matter how well you're defending in front of Vasilevskiy, is going to eventually lead to the opposition cracking through.
In Game 7, the Lightning drew their defense from their offense.
"We didn't play too much in our end in those first two periods," Cooper said. "We talk about it often, the best defense is playing offense. And we took the risk out of our game. We weren't giving them breaks. We were on top of them. We were making them change first. And then as the proud team they are and the hell of a team they are, they pushed in the third. But I thought for the most part we kept them to the outside. As a coach, you want to keep playing with the puck, but it's human nature we went in defend mode. We gave up some zone time. We didn't give up a ton of chances. They had a couple of looks that maybe a puck rolled off here, but they went into warrior mode and it was fun to watch."
The Islanders finished with just 18 shots in Game 7. The most threatening came early in the game when Anthony Beauvillier got behind the Lightning defense on a partial break. He took the puck in close to goal and tried to lift a backhander in at the back post, but Vasilevskiy stuck his right leg out to deny.
The Islanders really didn't threaten much again the rest of the way.
"I think it's becoming a broken record, it's not how many you put in the net, it's what you keep out," Cooper said. "It's a hard lesson to learn, especially the players that are coming up today and the skill and the rules that get put into place to open up space and skill and to score. But when you get to the playoffs, it's about defending."
Vasilevskiy made all 18 saves for his fourth-straight shutout in a clinching game, extending the longest such run by a goaltender in NHL history. He's the ninth goalie to record four or more series-clinching shutouts in NHL history.
Vasilevskiy posted shutouts in two of the last three games of the series. He earned his fifth career postseason shutout - four coming in the 2021 Playoffs -- to match Nikolai Khabibulin and Ben Bishop for the most in Lightning history.
"I've said this many times, hockey's a team sport," Cooper said. "And it takes everybody to put in the performances that have gone in, especially the defensive ones. It's what makes the playoff special. But in the end, you need the goalie to make the stops at times when everything else breaks down. And Vasy is showing time and time again he can do that. And to elevate your game and have the mental fortitude to grind through series-clinching, potential season-ending games and rise to the occasion, again, we're throwing around the word special, Vasy's special."
Vasilevskiy is now 13-0 in games following a loss over the last two postseasons and has allowed just a combined 19 goals in those 13 wins (351 saves on 370 shots).
"That was my fourth shutout, but obviously it's all about our team," Vasilevskiy said. "We just played so well when we needed to. In the important moments, we raised the bar. I don't have any more words. We have a job to do still and have to raise the bar and play our best game the next two weeks."

3. KUCHEROV IS A WARRIOR
Anyone who saw the shot in the mid-section Nikita Kucherov took from Scott Mayfield in Game 6, combined with the fact he never returned in a pivotal game in the series, had to feel like it was unlikely he'd be able to go for Game 7.
I know I did.
But, to Kucherov, it wasn't even in doubt.
"There was no question if I was going to play or not," Kucherov said. "…You've got to sacrifice yourself and play in those moments and share it with the boys. I felt good today."
Jon Cooper wasn't quite as confident.
"I didn't feel the same way. I'm glad he did, and that's the only vote that counts. It was dicey. I thought that was a big push for our room because I'm not so sure the players thought he was going to end up playing, especially after the game a couple nights ago. But not only do we get Kuch back, but to get Cerny back, I thought that was a huge lift for us and clearly it was good mojo for our guys."
When Kucherov came out of the tunnel and onto the ice for pre-game warmups, the AMALIE Arena crowd, already buzzing, got another lift. "Kuuuuuuuuch" rang out from the rafters down to the ice.
"It was a pretty cool moment stepping out for warmups," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "I don't think I've ever seen our fans that crazy before a game. Had the 'Kuuuuuuuuch' chants going during warmups. That was pretty good. Guys are warriors, Kuch, Cerny, guys are playing through so much right now at this time of the year that it's just amazing to see the effort that everyone puts in. A tough series, they played amazing."
Kucherov heard the fans and appreciated their support.
"It was fun to see how much the fans love our team," he said. "I just tried to enjoy the moment and real happy to play that game. Big shoutout to them and thanks for doing that."
Erik Cernak's return was pivotal for the Lightning too. He missed the previous two games with an upper-body injury, and his availability for Game 7 was in doubt too.
But both Kucherov and Cernak gutted it out.
Kucherov came out on his first shift and tried to set up Brayden Point on the back post for a golden scoring chance that was deflected away at the last second. And then he backchecked to steal a puck away and keep it buried in the offensive zone for more time.
Kucherov was going to be okay.
He ended up playing 16:29, taking two shots and dishing out two hits. The Lightning never went on the power play, so he never got a chance to take his spot in the right circle on the top unit where he's been lethal this postseason.
Cernak skated 19:50, fourth most on the team. He dished out four hits, took three shots and blocked two shots, another steady, solid, impactful effort from the burly defensemen.
Having both back in the lineup was a big lift for the Lightning. And their contributions were necessary in the 1-0 shutout win.
"Just the way that guys stuck with it after a tough loss last game giving up a couple goal lead, we just stuck with the plan," Stamkos said. "You get rewarded for the efforts, and those two guys were a big part of that."