How Lightning got to Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lighting can do something that hasn't been done in almost 40 years.

The Lightning advanced to the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday and seek their third straight title. The last team to win the Cup three straight seasons was the New York Islanders, who won four in a row from 1980-83.
They will play the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 is at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
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Tampa Bay has won 11 straight postseason series, including defeating the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the 2021 Cup Final and the Dallas Stars in six games in the 2020 Final.
The Lightning are 12-5 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 7-1 at home. They defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round and swept the Florida Panthers in the second round before defeating the Rangers in the conference final.
Tampa Bay will enter the Cup Final with plenty of experience. Sixteen players who have played at least one game in the 2022 playoffs have won the Cup at least once with the team and 13 have won it each of the past two seasons, including the core of forwards Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat, defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Here are some of the highlights for the Lightning on their road to the Stanley Cup Final:
BEST MOMENT:Game 6 vs. Rangers, Eastern Conference Final -- It certainly didn't seem like the Lightning would have a chance to win the series in six games after getting outscored 9-4 the first two games, both losses. However, they rebounded and allowed four in the next three to take a 3-2 series lead. In Game 6 on Saturday, Stamkos scored twice and Vasilevskiy saved 20 of 21 shots to send the Lightning to the Cup Final for the third straight season.
TURNING POINT: Game 3 vs. Rangers, Eastern Conference Final -- The Lightning were trailing 2-0 in the second period of Game 3 at home and in danger of going down 3-0 in the series. But goals by Kucherov in the second and Stamkos in the third tied it up before Palat became the hero, scoring the game-winning goal with 42 seconds left to give the Lightning a 3-2 win and get them back in the series. They haven't lost since.

BEST MOVES MADE:Acquiring Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel -- The two depth forwards have each made an impact since being acquired prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. Paul, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators on March 20, has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the postseason and has played more shorthanded time per game (3:09) than any Lightning forward. He also leads Tampa Bay forwards in blocked shots (18). Hagel was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 18 and has five points (two goals, three assists) in the playoffs; one of his goals was a game-winner and the other was an empty-net goal that helped seal the Game 5 win against the Rangers. He also played a key role in the Lightning limiting the Rangers' top line in the conference final.
BEST MOVE NOT MADE: Not rushing Brayden Point back from injury -- The forward sustained a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the first round against the Maple Leafs and hasn't played since, missing 10 games. Tampa Bay has gone 8-2 in those games and is expected to get their playmaker back for the Cup Final as he was close to playing in Game 6 against the Rangers. Point led the playoffs in goals in each of the past two postseasons with 14 and will be a welcome addition to the Lightning offense.
SIGNATURE WIN (REGULAR SEASON):Feb. 26 vs. Nashville Predators, 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series -- Tampa Bay had won three straight games entering its first regular-season outdoor game against the Predators at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. As has been the case the past few seasons, the Lightning didn't let the big stage rattle them. Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Point and Kucherov scored in the second for a 2-1 lead and Stamkos scored in the third. Vasilevskiy made 26 saves in the 3-2 victory.
SIGNATURE WIN (PLAYOFFS): Game 6 vs. Maple Leafs, Eastern Conference First Round -- The Lightning needed a win in Game 6 of the first round against the Maple Leafs to keep their season alive. They got out to a 2-0 lead before Toronto scored three times in the second period to take a 3-2 lead. Kucherov scored midway through the third to tie it before Point scored at 18:04 in overtime to even the series. The Lightning would win Game 7 in Toronto 2-1 to advance to the second round.

MVP:Steven Stamkos -- The No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Stamkos has been an impact player for years and, while he came close a few times, he never eclipsed the 100-point mark in his first 13 NHL seasons. This season he had 106 points and led the Lightning in goals (42), power-play goals (16), game-winning goals (11), overtime goals (three), shots on goal (241) and shooting percentage (17.4). He was second in assists (64) and power-play points (36) to Hedman and averaged 18:29 of ice time in 81 games. The longest-tenured player on the team, Stamkos has been the Lightning captain since March 6, 2014.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Corey Perry -- If you can't beat them, join them. That's what Perry did, signing a two-year contract on July 29 after the forward had lost to the Lightning each of the past two seasons in the Cup Final -- in 2020 with the Stars and in 2021 with the Canadiens. Perry had 19 goals and 40 points in 82 games in the regular season. He scored the most goals since 2016-17 and most points since 2017-18, each with the Anaheim Ducks. The 37-year-old has eight points (five goals, three assists) in the playoffs, including four on the power play, and has almost made an impact with his physical style of play.