Sep 28, 2020; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) and left wing Ondrej Palat (18) and and center Alex Killorn (17) and defenseman Victor Hedman (77) and right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) celebrates a goal scored against the Dallas Stars during the first period in game six of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
September 29, 2020
(Reuters) – The Tampa Bay Lightning won the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history with a 2-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday.
The victory saw the Lightning, who won their maiden Stanley Cup in 2004, clinch the best-of-seven championship series 4-2.
The entire Stanley Cup Final was held in Edmonton, one of two Canadian hub cities for the playoffs, to help limit travel and minimize COVID-19 risks.
Tampa Bay missed the chance to clinch the Cup after a double-overtime loss on Saturday but would not let the opportunity slip away a second time.
The Lightning, who are 5-0 after a loss this postseason, punished Dallas for some undisciplined play with Brayden Point scoring on a powerplay, pounding home his own rebound for his 14th of the playoffs.
Outshot 11-4 in the opening period, the Stars were fortunate not to find themselves in a bigger hole but fell 2-0 behind seven minutes into the second when Blake Coleman blasted a one-timer by Dallas netminder Anton Khudobin.
Having had just eight shots through the first two periods, a desperate Dallas more than doubled that in third frame but could not put the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 22 saves for his first playoff shutout.
(Reporting by Steve Keating, Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Kim Coghill)
