In nearly 40 years in the NHL, no team has won the Stanley Cup three years in a row. The islanders last scored such a hat-trick in 1983. And now Tampa is on the road to this incredible success. Lightning took first place in the Eastern Conference Finals. Whether it’s the Carolinas or the Rangers next, the reigning champions will be series favourites. In an age of fierce competition and salary caps, it’s amazing how a team from the southern state has stayed among the best for so long. He became the third player in NHL history to win 10 consecutive playoff series.

After the second Stanley Cup, Tampa lost four players from the main team. The third trio is completely gone – from the fourth Yanni Gurd, Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Johnson. Hockey players at other clubs received stronger contracts and Yıldırım was unable to increase their salaries due to the ceiling. It seems that general manager Julien Brisbois would not be able to find an equivalent replacement for them. The pass for Corey Perry, who only lost two back-to-back finals to Tampa, looked cool, but even here it wasn’t clear whether the 37-year-old forward would make a difference. It turns out he can. Perry had a great regular season, scoring 40 points, playing well in the first two rounds of the playoffs and even replacing Brendan Point in the series with Florida (we’re talking about the majority’s special team).

Tampa is the best trophy team ever to exist. “These guys are playing like they haven’t won the Stanley Cup yet, and this is the first time they’re going after it.”said head coach John Cooper. Lightnings knows how to rebuild and set up, as they show in the series with Toronto. After the defeat in the first match, many felt the champion was full and tired. But it wasn’t. And now the words of Mikhail Sergachev last summer that the team will fight for the third trophy are perceived differently. Tampa really needs to win all the time.

The main character of these victories is the goalkeeper. No matter how brilliantly Lightning plays offensively, he cannot outshine forward Andrey Vasilevsky. According to Evolving-Hockey, the Russian goalkeeper has saved 10 more than expected in his four games against Florida. Conceded just three goals from the top goalscorer in the regular season (the Panthers are the top goalscorer in the 21st century). At the last meeting, Vasilevsky won a cracker, made 49 saves and became the sole holder of the NHL record for the number of concedes in decisive playoff games. There are six now. Incredible stability and the ability to make the most of it in decisive moments. Not a man, but a wall, the best player in the team – everyone compliments him. In turn, Andrei only modestly says: “Nothing special. The guys lie with bones to stop the puck. It’s not just my merit.

And it is necessary to pay attention to the words of Vasilevsky. In Game 3 against Florida, Victor Hedman blocked more shots than all the opposing defenders combined. In the series, Tampas blocked 77 shots, the Panthers 44. Cooper’s team was selfless and reliable in the shorthand (87.8%), conceding only four-on-five in the second round. But the majority still have room to add – only 22.9% of implementation so far. With Point’s return (he missed the second round due to injury), he should add Tampa with a numerical advantage. Although the same Kucherov seems to have nothing to add. Nikita scored 15 (4+11) points in 11 games and became the fourth goalscorer in the playoffs. They say that the Russian striker played with an injury, but it does not affect his performance in any way. He has already surpassed Alexander Ovechkin and is ranked 37th in history in Stanley Cup points (142). Only Fedorov and Malkin are higher than the Russians.

The final question to John Cooper at a press conference after the victory over Florida was: “What did losing Columbus teach you?”

“Well, we haven’t lost since then.”

Indeed, the 0-4 first-round eliminations in the spring of 2019 changed a lot for Tampa. And now the team from Florida is a model for everyone in debugging, hockey trends and building a championship team. And he could win a third Stanley Cup in a row. Legend suits him.

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