“Always dreamed about  name on Stanley Cup” – Tampa Bay Lightning advances to final against Avalanche after victory over Rangers

“Always dreamed about  name on Stanley Cup” – Tampa Bay Lightning advances to final against Avalanche after victory over Rangers

Tampa Bay Lightning players

The Tampa Bay Lightning have booked their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final berth with a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amalie Arena on Saturday. As a result, the Lightning clinched the best-of-seven series 4-2 and will now play the Colorado Avalanche in the ultimate game.

With this win, Tampa Bay has 11 straight playoff series victories against its name, trailing the New York Islanders (19, from 1980-84) and Montreal Canadiens (13, from 1976-80) for the longest such run in National Hockey League (NHL) history. 

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“When you are in, it’s just sitting up here right now and thinking of the magnitude of going to a third Stanley Cup Final,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, as quoted by NHL.com. “You grew up as a kid, and I was not near good enough to play in this league. But growing up in Canada, you always dreamed about having your name on the Stanley Cup.”

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“This group is pretty amazing and special”

Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos scored twice while Ondrej Palat had two assists for the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division and two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made as many as 20 saves. 

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“It’s going to be tough to get out of the moment and look back and realize what a special group we have here because there’s still some games to be played,” Stamkos said. “You’re still not at the end of your goal, but in saying that, this group is pretty, pretty amazing and pretty special. 

“Each guy is just a part of the process. And what makes this team so special and tight and unique is just that we don’t care how it gets done. You just need to get it done. Very, very proud of this group.”

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