The Lightning are the 9th NHL franchise to win back-to-back championships and just the second to do so in the salary-cap era, which began in 2005The Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, this time on home ice, after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
They become the ninth team in the Cup’s history to win back-to-back championships and the first team since 2015 to celebrate at home.”It’s unbelievable,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “This group, to go back to back after everything we went through last year in the bubble, to go through this year’s ups and downs it’s amazing.”The more than 17,000 fans at Amalie Arena chanted “We want the Cup!” as the final minutes of regulation winded down and the Lightning delivered.
“To do it in front of our fans and our families, it’s so special, special,” defenseman Victor Hedman said. “It’s out of this world. Winning a Stanley Cup is one thing. But doing it in front of our fans, family means the world.”
Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton would score the only goal of the game, ending a scoreless period and a half after veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh dragged the puck to the middle and passed to David Savard who fed him the puck in front of the net to beat Habs goaltender Carey Price in the top corner.
