In the end, it was really was fait accompli.
“It’s unbelievable,” Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos said. “I mean, so cliche to say, but there’s no words. This group to go back to back after everything we went through last year in the bubble, to go through this year, ups and downs. I mean, it’s amazing.”
Ross Colton scored the only goal of Game 5 in the middle frame to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 1-0 lead.
Both teams were scoreless in three power play chances.
“It doesn’t take anything away from last year, but to do it again is just validation into history,” Stamkos said. “And this group accomplished something that not many people thought could happen, and like I said, to do it in front of our family, our friends and our fans was just amazing.”
It meant the mountain was too tall for the Montreal Canadiens.
“I’m proud of this group,” Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said. “I told the guys after the game, there’s a period we had to go through a lot of things. You talk about practice. You talk about injuries, scheduling, COVID. Even through the playoffs, being down, being up, many things and we kept moving forward and kept getting better. So we grew as a team a lot. We’ve got to use that the right way and we want to make it back here with a different result.”
Game 5 ended as it probably should have, 1-0, in favor of the Lightning for their second straight Stanley Cup.
The Canadiens did not make it easy.
“I don’t think that’s the case at all,” the Canadiens’ Shea Weber said, “To be honest, I think that we weren’t good enough in front of Carey. Give them credit. They’re a heck of a team. They’re here for a reason and they were better than us in the end.”
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves to get the win.
“It’s all about the experience and how your team is playing in front of you,” Vasilevskiy said. “The last two playoffs we’ve been pretty consistent throughout all four rounds. When the team is playing like this in front of you, you get lots of confidence from them and just try to help them however you can, just try to be at your best every night for the guys.”
Vasilevskiy was voted the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
“I think we might be taking for granted how good he really is, and he’s been proving it here now for a number of years,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said, “and I think he’s just getting started.”
Colton scored off a brilliant pass from David Savard who had the option to shoot or pass.
Colton needed only to put his stick on the ice to deflect the puck into an open net.
Vasilevskiy had five shutouts in the playoffs this season.
“I can’t believe it. It’s obviously the whole team deserves it for sure,” Vasilevskiy said. “Just to have five shutouts in one playoffs, it’s all about team for sure. We were able to shut down the teams four times in a row in clinching games, just amazing. Can’t say more. It’s not about me, it’s about our team.”
Carey Price made 29 saves in the loss.
“At the end of the day, I just don’t think I played well enough at the start of the series,” Price said.
Price was responsible for keeping the Habs in the Final, with his Game 4 win and his effort in Game 5.
“Every single guy gave everything they had every single night,” Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher said. “You look at our group and, obviously, there’s a lot more talented teams and there’s a lot of teams that do a lot of things, but there’s no team that’s stronger as a group, and the resiliency that we showed, just a good team to be a part of.”
The Lightning’s Pat Maroon won the Cup for this third straight season starting with St Louis Blues in 2019.
“I was kind of getting emotional with like 1:40 left,” Maroon said. “I had to keep it together because obviously I’m not out there. But watching these guys block shots and just muck it up and do everything they can just to [have] an opportunity to win, I’ve been very fortunate. I’m very blessed to be a part of three runs and three very good teams. You may not see me on the score sheet, but I try to bring a different element to the room and chip in when I can and just kind of relax the team a little bit.”
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