TAMPA, FLA. — It only took scoring once for the Tampa Bay Lightning to strike twice and repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Backstopped by their star goaltender and the only two Tampa Bay players on the ice without their names on the Cup, the Lightning won it all for the second time in 10 months by beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Andrei Vasilevskiy had a series-ending shutout for an NHL-record fifth consecutive time dating to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Finishing with a handful in a frantic final minute, he made 22 saves to remain undefeated in games after a loss over the last two postseasons, both contested during a deadly pandemic with the Lightning coming out on top each time.