The 2020 Stanley Cup Final was the
championship series of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's (NHL)
2019–20 season and the culmination of the
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. This series was between the
Eastern Conference champion
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
and the
Western Conference champion
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
. The Lightning won the
best-of-seven series, four games to two, for their second championship in franchise history. The Lightning had home-ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record. The series began on September 19 and concluded on September 28. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the entire series was played
behind closed doors at
Rogers Place
Rogers Place is a multi-use indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Construction started in March 2014, and the building officially opened on September 8, 2016. The arena has a seating capacity of 18,500 as a hockey venue and 20,734 as a conce ...
in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
. The pandemic resulted in the league suspending the regular season on March 12, 2020, and then scheduling a special 24-team playoff format to be held in two neutral "hub cities" (
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
) that began on August 1.
Thus it became the first Stanley Cup Finals to be played in the month of September.
This was the first Stanley Cup Final series since to be played entirely outside the
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...
, the first since to be played entirely in one location, the first since to be played entirely in Canada, and the first since to have the Stanley Cup awarded in a Canadian arena. This was the first Stanley Cup Final since to feature a neutral site game and the first Stanley Cup Finals to feature two teams from the
American Sun Belt (
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
).
The
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
set the record for most playoff games played by a team in a single postseason at 27 games.
Paths to the Finals
Return to play
On March 11, 2020, the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
declared
COVID-19 to be a pandemic, and later that day, the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
suspended all games after players tested positive for the disease. One day later, the NHL announced that the 2019–20 season had been paused indefinitely.
On May 22, the league and the
NHLPA agreed on a basic framework to stage a 24-team playoff tournament
behind closed doors, conducted in two neutral "hub" cities to help protect teams from the virus. The details of the plan were announced publicly on May 26. The seeds would be based on each club's points percentage when the season paused on March 12, effectively scrapping the remainder of the regular season. In the opening round of the 24-team playoff format, the top four teams in each conference played each other in a separate Seeding Round-robin to determine the seeding in the First Round. The eight lower seeded teams in each conference played in the Qualifying Round, a best-of-five series to advance to the next round. The First Round through to the Finals remained as best-of-seven series. On July 10, along with the ratification of an extension to the collective bargaining agreement, the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
and the
NHLPA formally agreed to begin the playoffs on August 1 (concluding no later than early October), with games being hosted by
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
(Western Conference early rounds, Conference Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals) and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
(Eastern Conference early rounds). U.S. cities were also considered, but were passed over after several U.S. states experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases in late June.
Dallas Stars
This was the franchise's fifth appearance in the Finals. They won the Stanley Cup in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
before losing the Finals in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
. They also made two appearances as the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
and
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
.
During the offseason, Dallas signed forwards
Corey Perry
Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
and
Joe Pavelski as well as defenceman
Andrej Sekera in free agency. The team also re-signed defenceman
Taylor Fedun and forward
Jason Dickinson. The team made no trades during the regular season.
On December 10, 2019, head coach
Jim Montgomery was dismissed due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs" of both the team and the league, and was replaced by
Rick Bowness
Richard Gary Bowness (born January 25, 1955) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bowness played right wing for the Atlanta Flames, Detroit R ...
. Before joining the Stars organization, Bowness had served as associate coach with the Lightning from 2013 to 2018.
When the regular season was suspended on March 12, 2020, the Stars had a 37–24–8 record and a .594 points percentage to finish third in the Central Division and fourth in the Western Conference. After play resumed in the hubs, Dallas placed third in the Round Robin. The Stars then defeated the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in six games in the First Round, the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
in seven games in the Second Round, and the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
Tampa Bay Lightning
This was the Tampa Bay Lightning's third appearance in the Finals. They won the Stanley Cup in
2004 before losing the Finals in
2015.
During the offseason, Tampa Bay signed goaltender
Curtis McElhinney
Robert Curtis McElhinney (born May 23, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple L ...
, defencemen
Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn (born November 2, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schenn played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his f ...
,
Luke Witkowski
Luke Witkowski (born April 14, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey Le ...
, and
Kevin Shattenkirk
Kevin Michael Shattenkirk (born January 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, W ...
, and forward
Patrick Maroon during free agency. Tampa Bay also re-signed goaltender
Andrei Vasilevskiy and forwards
Cedric Paquette and
Brayden Point. During the regular season, the Lightning traded for forwards
Blake Coleman and
Barclay Goodrow. They also signed
Zach Bogosian
Zachary M. Bogosian (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and T ...
whose contract had been terminated by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
during the season. During Phase 2 of the Return to Play plan, captain Steven Stamkos injured himself while skating, and subsequently missed the round robin and the first three rounds of the playoffs for the Lightning.
When the regular season was suspended on March 12, the Lightning had a 42–21–6 record and a .657 points percentage to finish second in both the
Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. After play resumed in the hubs, Tampa Bay placed second in the Round Robin. The Lightning then defeated the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
in the First Round, including winning Game 1 of the series that became the fourth longest game in NHL history, and the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in the Second Round in five games respectively. The Lightning then eliminated the
New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games.
Game summaries
:''Note: The numbers in parenthesis represent each player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire playoffs.''
Game one
In the first period of game one, neither team produced many shots, yet each scored a goal. The first goal came from Stars defenceman
Joel Hanley who took an open pass from
Roope Hintz. Tampa Bay equalized the score on left winger
Yanni Gourde
Yanni Gourde (born December 15, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, Gourde signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free age ...
's skate deflection. In the second period, both teams produced more shots, however, Dallas was up by two at the end of the period.
Jamie Oleksiak fired a wrist shot which rebounded back to him which he then shot it over Lightning goalie
Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it 2–1. The Stars' third goal started in their own end with
Esa Lindell passing to
Joel Kiviranta. Kiviranta then skated through centre, firing a shot that was blocked, but picked up the rebound to put it past Vasilevskiy for a 3–1 lead. In the third period, the Stars played more defensively, putting up only two shots compared to the Lightning who fired twenty-two shots at
Anton Khudobin. The Stars held their ground for the remaining 20 minutes, and
Jason Dickinson's empty-net goal sealed a 4–1 victory for Dallas.
Game two
In game two, the Lightning struck three times in the first period. Twice on the power-play,
Victor Hedman
Victor Erik Olof Hedman (; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the ...
and
Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best ...
set up both goal-scorers. The first came from a tic-tac-toe pass to
Brayden Point firing it past Stars goalie
Anton Khudobin. The second goal was another set-up pass; this time Kucherov fed it through the middle where
Ondrej Palat Ondrej is a Slovak male given name, equivalent to Andrew. Notable people with the name include:
* Ondrej Duda, Slovak football player
* Ondrej Otčenáš (1987), Slovak ice hockey player
* Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater
** Ondrej Nepela Arena
...
made it 2–0. The Lightning made it 3–0 when the Stars fumbled the puck in their own zone and
Anthony Cirelli
Anthony Cirelli (, ; born July 15, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Lightning in the third round (72nd overall) of ...
gave it to
Kevin Shattenkirk
Kevin Michael Shattenkirk (born January 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, W ...
, whose shot at the blue line deflected off of
Esa Lindell and past Khudobin. In the second period, the Stars shot eighteen times at
Andrei Vasilevskiy and caught a break on the power-play. During Palat's slashing penalty,
John Klingberg's shot deflected off of fellow Stars forward
Joe Pavelski to cut the score to 3–1. Later in the period, a hit on Stars player
Blake Comeau
Blake Comeau (born February 18, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently an unrestricted free agent of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, by the New York Islanders at t ...
caused a skirmish to erupt, with Dallas players
Corey Perry
Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
and Klingberg against
Cedric Paquette and Hedman respectively. All players received simultaneous roughing penalties. In the third period, the Stars made it 3–2 when
Mattias Janmark's shot snuck past Vasilevskiy. The Lightning kept their offense going in the final 20 minutes, pouring twelve shots on Khudobin, holding off the Stars, and ending the game 3–2 to tie the series 1–1.
Game three
In game three, Dallas put the heat on
Andrei Vasilevskiy in the first period. However, among their sixteen shots, only one goal was successfully scored compared to the Lightning's two. Tampa Bay's first came from a misplay by
Miro Heiskanen
Miro Heiskanen (born 18 July 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ranked in the top ten eligible European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ...
giving
Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best ...
a breakaway, sniping the puck past
Anton Khudobin. Their second goal came from their captain
Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos (born February 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning. He ...
returning from injury for his first game since being injured on February 25. After a rush by the Stars was stopped in the offensive zone,
Victor Hedman
Victor Erik Olof Hedman (; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the ...
passed the puck to Stamkos, who was racing on the right side, upon which he fired his shot over Khudobin's blocker to make it 2–0. The Stars' lone goal of the period came short-handed when a shot by
Roope Hintz was stopped by Vasilevskiy. The rebound of that save went back to Hintz in the left corner who then passed to an open
Jason Dickinson, whose shot got through Vasilevskiy to make it 2–1. The Lightning had a more dominant approach in the second period, putting off 21 shots and scoring three times. The first goal came following
Alexander Radulov's hooking penalty which carried over from the first period. After a puck battle behind the net,
Anthony Cirelli
Anthony Cirelli (, ; born July 15, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Lightning in the third round (72nd overall) of ...
, who was falling down on the play, passed to Hedman who shot the puck under Khudobin's stick into the net. Tampa Bay's fourth goal arrived when the Stars began a line change and a 3-on-1 developed with Kucherov leading the rush and
Brayden Point scoring the goal. The Lightning continued their offensive zone coverage towards the end of the period and in the final minute-and-a-half, Point fired a shot that rebounded to
Ondrej Palat Ondrej is a Slovak male given name, equivalent to Andrew. Notable people with the name include:
* Ondrej Duda, Slovak football player
* Ondrej Otčenáš (1987), Slovak ice hockey player
* Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater
** Ondrej Nepela Arena
...
, who put it into the net for a 5–1 lead. Dallas then pulled Khudobin before the third period, replacing him with
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
Jake Oettinger. The Stars, showing some frustration, began roughing the Lightning on three occasions: the first with
Mattias Janmark and Palat; then both
Jamie Benn and
Jan Rutta
Jan Rutta (born July 29, 1990) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rutta won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Playing career
Rutta made his ...
, who had a skirmish after the play, both earning misconducts as a result; and an errant cross-check at 18:05 by
Joe Pavelski on
Cedric Paquette, which caused a ruckus with both teams. Heiskanen's goal gave the Stars some life in the third period, but Tampa Bay's defense kept the Stars at bay, winning the game 5–2 and taking a 2–1 series lead.
Game four
The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 2–0 deficit in game four. In the first period,
John Klingberg gave the Stars their first goal of the game subsequently on their first shot. The Stars gained a 2–0 lead when
Jamie Benn set up
Joe Pavelski, whose wrist shot got under
Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay got on the board with 33 seconds remaining in the period. The play began when defenceman
Kevin Shattenkirk
Kevin Michael Shattenkirk (born January 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, W ...
, from behind the Lightning net, gave an outstretched pass to
Ondrej Palat Ondrej is a Slovak male given name, equivalent to Andrew. Notable people with the name include:
* Ondrej Duda, Slovak football player
* Ondrej Otčenáš (1987), Slovak ice hockey player
* Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater
** Ondrej Nepela Arena
...
, who then passed across to the right boards to find a solitary
Brayden Point. He maneuvered around
Anton Khudobin, going to his backhand to score. Point then tied the game early in the second period, on the power-play. During the Stars' penalty,
Alex Killorn made a pass to the front, but the puck deflected off of
Andrej Sekera's skate into the air, which Point then batted it into the net. The Stars soon regained the lead when
Tyler Seguin Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
's pass around Vasilevskiy got picked up by
Corey Perry
Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
who, although tied up by
Cedric Paquette, allowed the puck to trickle in off his stick. The Lightning tied the game up again when
Andrew Cogliano
Andrew Cogliano (born June 14, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He formerly played for the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks. On ...
got caught for hooking and on the ensuing Tampa Bay power-play,
Mikhail Sergachev set up
Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best ...
for a one-timer, but the puck deflected off of
Esa Lindell to
Yanni Gourde
Yanni Gourde (born December 15, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, Gourde signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free age ...
who shot it past Khudobin. In the third period, Killorn put the Lightning up 4–3 when he went out around the net and shot at the top corner behind Khudobin. Pavelski tied the game 4–4 after picking up the rebound of Seguin's shot and then launching the puck at Vasilevskiy which deflected off of Shattenkirk into the net. Into overtime, Benn pushed down
Tyler Johnson; controversially, he was called for tripping. While on the ensuing power-play,
Patrick Maroon won an offensive zone face-off, sending it back to
Victor Hedman
Victor Erik Olof Hedman (; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the ...
. Hedman then passed it to Shattenkirk, whose shot at a sharp angle went over Khudobin's right pad for the game-winning goal and a 3–1 series lead.
Game five
Corey Perry
Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
opened the scoring in the first period of game five.
Jamie Oleksiak passed to
Tyler Seguin Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
, who then dropped it for Perry to score the initial goal for Dallas. In the second period, the Lightning struck back when
Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best ...
passed to
Ondrej Palat Ondrej is a Slovak male given name, equivalent to Andrew. Notable people with the name include:
* Ondrej Duda, Slovak football player
* Ondrej Otčenáš (1987), Slovak ice hockey player
* Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater
** Ondrej Nepela Arena
...
and he skated past the Dallas defencemen and goaltender
Anton Khudobin with a backhand to tie the game 1–1. The Lightning kept putting the pressure on the Stars for the remainder of the second period, firing away 13 shots. In the third period,
Mikhail Sergachev's blast from the point gave the Lightning a 2–1 lead. The Stars tied the game 2–2 when
Miro Heiskanen
Miro Heiskanen (born 18 July 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ranked in the top ten eligible European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ...
's shot from the point rebounded to
Joe Pavelski, who put it past
Andrei Vasilevskiy to break the record held by
Joe Mullen
Joseph Patrick Mullen (born February 26, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins betwee ...
for most career playoff goals scored by a US-born player. The two teams remained tied after the fact heading into overtime. In the first overtime, Dallas put up two shots compared to Tampa Bay's seven, but no goals were scored and the game continued on to double overtime. At 9:23 of the second overtime, Perry picked up a rebound from Seguin's shot and slid the puck past Vasilevskiy to give the Stars the game 3–2, forcing a sixth game.
Game six
In game six, the Lightning took a 1–0 lead in the first period. After
John Klingberg was penalized for tripping, Brayden Point fired a wrist shot that flew past
Anton Khudobin after following the rebound of his own initial shot. Tampa Bay gained a 2–0 lead in the second period when a Stars turnover to
Patrick Maroon got to
Cedric Paquette, who set up
Blake Coleman for a one-timer. The Stars remained scoreless for the rest of the game, but they had a close chance in the second period when
Joel Kiviranta's shot was stopped by
Andrei Vasilevskiy with his skate. Although had a goal been scored, it would have been disallowed as
Corey Perry
Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
was penalized for goaltender interference on the play. The Lightning held Dallas to just 8 shots in the first two periods combined. Vasilevskiy continued his shutout in the third period, stopping all 22 shots by Dallas, earning his first playoff shutout. With a 2–0 victory, the Tampa Bay Lightning won their second Stanley Cup. Lightning defenceman
Victor Hedman
Victor Erik Olof Hedman (; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the ...
was given the
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general ma ...
as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
Team rosters
Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.
Dallas Stars
Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup engraving
The Stanley Cup was presented to Lightning captain Steven Stamkos by
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman following the Lightning's 2–0 win in game six.
The following Lightning players and staff qualified to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:
2019–20 Tampa Bay Lightning
Engraving notes
Tampa Bay had 28 players on their extended official team roster during the 2020 playoffs. Of those, 27 automatically qualified to have their names engraved.
* #91
Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos (born February 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning. He ...
^ (C/W-Captain) - played 57 regular-season games and one game in the finals. He missed 13 regular-season games and 24 of 25 playoff games injured. #17
Alex Killorn served as an Asst. Captain while Stamkos was injured. He qualified by playing in half of his team's regular season games and one game in the finals.
* #44
Jan Rutta
Jan Rutta (born July 29, 1990) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rutta won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Playing career
Rutta made his ...
(D) played 33 regular-season and five playoff games (four in the finals). He missed 19 regular-season and 18 playoff games injured. He qualified by playing four games in the final.
* #55
Braydon Coburn
Braydon Coburn (born February 27, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Coburn was originally selected in the first round, eighth overall, by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, beginning his NHL career wit ...
(D) played 40 regular-season and three playoff games (none in the finals). He qualified by playing in half of his team's regular season games.
* #2
Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn (born November 2, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schenn played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his f ...
(D) played 25 regular-season and 11 playoff games (including one in the finals). He qualified by playing one game in the finals.
* #24
Zach Bogosian
Zachary M. Bogosian (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and T ...
(D) played 27 regular-season games (18 games for Buffalo, nine games for Tampa Bay), plus 20 playoff games for Tampa Bay. Bogosian also missed 22 regular-season and four playoff games injured. He qualified by playing two games in the finals.
* #92
Alexander Volkov (RW) - played nine regular-season games and one game in the finals. He also played 46 games in the minors with Syracuse. He qualified by playing in one game in the finals.
* #7
Mathieu Joseph (RW) – 37 regular-season games and 29 games in the minors for Syracuse. He qualified by playing in half of his team's regular season games.
* #29
Scott Wedgewood (G) – did not play for Tampa Bay during the 2019–20 season, but played 20 games in minors for Syracuse (AHL). Wedgewood was an extra goalie who was carried for the playoffs in case of injuries but did not dress for any games. He was the only player on the roster who traveled with the team to the NHL Bubble not to have his name engraved on the Cup.
* #14
Patrick Maroon (LW) became the third player in the expansion era to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with two different teams. Maroon won with
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
and Tampa Bay in 2020. The only two other players who have won back to back cups with two different teams since 1967–68 are
Claude Lemieux
Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his care ...
, who won in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
with
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and in
1996 with
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
; and
Cory Stillman
Cory Stillman (born December 20, 1973) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams between 1994 and 2011, winning the Stanley Cup twice. He is currently an assi ...
, who won in
2004 with
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater ...
and in
2006 with
Carolina (the 2004–05 season was not played due to the
lockout). Additionally, Maroon's first name was listed simply as “Pat” on the 2020 engraving, after being listed as “Patrick” the prior year.
* Four members of the team staff won both cups with Tampa Bay in 2004 and 2020, 16 years apart: Video Coach Nigel Kirwin, Athletic Trainer Tom Mulligan, Equipment Manager Ray Thill, and Senior Director of Team Services Ryan Belec.
Television and radio
In Canada, the series was broadcast by
Sportsnet and
CBC Television in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and
TVA Sports
TVA Sports is a Canadian French-language sports specialty channel owned by the Groupe TVA, a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The channel is a general-interest sports network, and the first major competitor to RDS, the only other ...
in
French. In the United States, the Finals were split between
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
(Games one, and four through six) and
NBCSN (Games two and three). The NHL initially had plans to produce broadcasts for each game using a skeleton crew on-site, such as cameramen and producers, and then each media partners' commentators on both TV and radio were to call the games remotely. The league then allowed both Sportsnet and NBC commentators into the hubs.
As he had been doing throughout the playoffs, 74-year-old NBC lead play-by-play commentator
Mike "Doc" Emrick called the Cup Finals off of monitors from his home studio in
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the a ...
, citing his advanced age as a potential risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
These were the final games that Emrick called; he announced his retirement on October 19, 2020.
References
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