Finally, we reach the pinnacle of the NHL season, and this year there is no cinderella set to crash the ball. The final will be contested by two teams that had 50 plus wins in the regular season and who were expected to figure preseason.
Tampa Bay have the chance to join some exalted company as they are going for the hat trick and although it is often overused the density word could be bandied about should they manage it. The last time any team won three on the bounce was way back in the early 1980s. Then the New York Islanders won four between 1980 and 1983 and deserve the big D tag as they reached the final in 1984 too. Since the turn of the 21st century, the closest any have come has been the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 & 2017.
The odds are not in their favour but they are certainly battle-hardened. They have had to come from behind multiple times in the postseason. In the Conference Final, they trailed the NY Rangers 2-0 before winning out and it took seven games to get past Toronto in round one.
The Challengers
Their opponents Colorado have had a much easier path to the finals. They swept Nashville in the opening round and saw off the Oilers with similar disdain in the Conference Final. The only two games they have dropped were both against St Louis and they never trailed in that series. The Avalanche also won both regular-season meetings with Tampa, the first 5-4 in OT and then 3-2 in February. They will be well-rested and in Nathan MacKinnon, they have the firepower to beat anyone.
So Who Wins
Everything is pointing towards this being a classic final and although we tipped the Avalanche before the season started, we are not so sure now. Colorado has not been seriously tested and maybe that will be their undoing. Should be close but unlike in the regular season we see the Lightning getting the breaks and making it a threepeat
