It was not the most exciting playoff match. And neither was it an exciting series.
Dallas did not deviate from the tradition that brought victory on Sunday. They went out to endure, fight, and wait for their chances.
Tampa had a different tactic. A more complex one. They went out to win the Stanley Cup. This meant pushing, using their chances, earning powerplays and using them, not making mistakes in their own zone, and helping Andrei Vasilevsky as much as possible.
Last time it did not work out, but for this game John Cooper tightened the non-working elements. The coach changed the lineup. He unexpectedly released Alexander Volkov and the defender Zach Bogosian onto the ice. Both of them played great and up to Lightning’s expectations.
Using chances on the powerplay was the component that the Stars were missing in this series. They’ve made a minimal amount of shots on target while on the powerplay, which is the road to nowhere.
Dallas had 20 minutes left to turn the game around while they were behind 0-2. But this time, the Texas club was not ready for Plan B. Neither the next powerplay, nor Corey Perry’s wife in the stands, nor Corey Perry himself helped. It seems they poured their whole souls into the previous games and there was no energy left for this game.
As a result, Tampa Bay Lightning is the 2020 Stanley Cup winner. And very deservedly so.
