It was 2 short years ago that the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Colorado Avalanche to win their first HFNHL Cup. The run through the playoffs in 2020 was an unexpectedly dominant one after finishing the season as the 8th seed, with only one series lasting more than 5 games, before that first Cup was lifted. The team was built to be a contender with a limited window while players like Jack Eichel, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jonathan Huberdeau & Seth Jones were in their primes. There were cap casualties as Eric Staal, Jamie Benn, Jakub Voracek & Nick Leddy all left the team. They weren't quite sure how they could stay on top after losing so many big names but the players that remained knew they wanted to experience that feeling again.
The following season went as well as anyone within the organization could've hoped. The team finished with 114 points, only 1 behind the Presidents Trophy winning San Jose Sharks and expectations were high, another deep playoff run surely just a formality. Things turned quickly. The Lightning were knocked out by their state rivals, the Florida Panthers, in the first round. There were going to be more cap casualties and a questionable drafting track record meant there was no next wave of young cost controller players coming. Kevin Hayes & Tyler Johnson left the team while once promising youngsters like Cody Glass & Josh Brook failed to take the next step. Was that it?
As the 2021-22 season started, it certainly appeared so. Coming off an injury riddled season, star centre Jack Eichel was a shell of his former self trying to play his way back into shape and the team suffered as a result. The team sputtered to a 12-13-4 record out of the gates and sat well out of a playoff spot in the East. The window was closing after 1 brief moment of success.
The team needed a spark to turn things around. To no ones surprise, star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy provided that spark, against a familiar opponent. The Lightning were on a 4 game losing streak with a road game against the Colorado Avalanche on deck. The teams battled to a scoreless draw in regulation. Overtime settled nothing before Christian Dvorak scored lone shootout goal, giving the Lightning an important 1-0 win. From this point on, the core players carried the team to an incredible 37-10-6 record the rest of the season. The Lightning slowly climbed back into the playoff hunt, then into a wildcard spot, before eventually finishing 2nd in the division after the last game of the season. Much like that 2019-20 team, the road to the playoffs wasn't pretty, but the finish is what matters. This is a championship core after all, forced to fight their way back into the playoff picture, playing their best as the season ended.
Unlike that 2020 team, the playoffs were anything but easy. In what was perhaps the toughest playoff run in HFNHL history, the Lightning would face teams that put up a combined 229 wins & 482 points. First up were the Panthers, the team that ended their season just a year ago. In what would become a trend, the Lightning battled to survive a 7 game series and move on to face the Presidents Trophy winning Ottawa Senators. After exchanging wins & losses for the first 5 games the team faced elimination for the first time in game 6. A thrilling OT victory kept them alive before yet another OT win in game 7 sent them on to the Eastern Conference Final against the Philadelphia Flyers. A game 1 loss was almost expected after all the emotions of two OT wins to stay alive, before bouncing back to win games 2 & 3. Eventually the Lightning would see their third straight series go to a game 7, where the team eeked out a 1-0 win, and earned their shot at another HFNHL Cup.
Their foe was a familiar one. The same team they played way back in that 1-0 shootout victory 30 games into the season. The same team they played back in the 2020 final, the 65 win Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche were arguably the deepest team assembled in recent memory. Built for one purpose, to get into the playoffs and dress a lineup that would win a championship. The only chance the Lightning had was to rely on that recent success and to hope their playoff pedigree came through. The series didn't start out as anyone expected as Tampa jumped out to a 3-0 series lead while outscoring Colorado 15-6. There was no way it was going to be that easy though, as the Avalanche battled back to win game 4, then stole all the momentum back with a huge OT victory in game 5. The Lightning knew game 6 was their only shot, and once again, Andrei Vasilevskiy stepped up and delivered a stellar 2-0 shutout win to bring home the 2nd HFNHL Cup in team history.
Who says Lightning doesn't strike twice?!?
The following season went as well as anyone within the organization could've hoped. The team finished with 114 points, only 1 behind the Presidents Trophy winning San Jose Sharks and expectations were high, another deep playoff run surely just a formality. Things turned quickly. The Lightning were knocked out by their state rivals, the Florida Panthers, in the first round. There were going to be more cap casualties and a questionable drafting track record meant there was no next wave of young cost controller players coming. Kevin Hayes & Tyler Johnson left the team while once promising youngsters like Cody Glass & Josh Brook failed to take the next step. Was that it?
As the 2021-22 season started, it certainly appeared so. Coming off an injury riddled season, star centre Jack Eichel was a shell of his former self trying to play his way back into shape and the team suffered as a result. The team sputtered to a 12-13-4 record out of the gates and sat well out of a playoff spot in the East. The window was closing after 1 brief moment of success.
The team needed a spark to turn things around. To no ones surprise, star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy provided that spark, against a familiar opponent. The Lightning were on a 4 game losing streak with a road game against the Colorado Avalanche on deck. The teams battled to a scoreless draw in regulation. Overtime settled nothing before Christian Dvorak scored lone shootout goal, giving the Lightning an important 1-0 win. From this point on, the core players carried the team to an incredible 37-10-6 record the rest of the season. The Lightning slowly climbed back into the playoff hunt, then into a wildcard spot, before eventually finishing 2nd in the division after the last game of the season. Much like that 2019-20 team, the road to the playoffs wasn't pretty, but the finish is what matters. This is a championship core after all, forced to fight their way back into the playoff picture, playing their best as the season ended.
Unlike that 2020 team, the playoffs were anything but easy. In what was perhaps the toughest playoff run in HFNHL history, the Lightning would face teams that put up a combined 229 wins & 482 points. First up were the Panthers, the team that ended their season just a year ago. In what would become a trend, the Lightning battled to survive a 7 game series and move on to face the Presidents Trophy winning Ottawa Senators. After exchanging wins & losses for the first 5 games the team faced elimination for the first time in game 6. A thrilling OT victory kept them alive before yet another OT win in game 7 sent them on to the Eastern Conference Final against the Philadelphia Flyers. A game 1 loss was almost expected after all the emotions of two OT wins to stay alive, before bouncing back to win games 2 & 3. Eventually the Lightning would see their third straight series go to a game 7, where the team eeked out a 1-0 win, and earned their shot at another HFNHL Cup.
Their foe was a familiar one. The same team they played way back in that 1-0 shootout victory 30 games into the season. The same team they played back in the 2020 final, the 65 win Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche were arguably the deepest team assembled in recent memory. Built for one purpose, to get into the playoffs and dress a lineup that would win a championship. The only chance the Lightning had was to rely on that recent success and to hope their playoff pedigree came through. The series didn't start out as anyone expected as Tampa jumped out to a 3-0 series lead while outscoring Colorado 15-6. There was no way it was going to be that easy though, as the Avalanche battled back to win game 4, then stole all the momentum back with a huge OT victory in game 5. The Lightning knew game 6 was their only shot, and once again, Andrei Vasilevskiy stepped up and delivered a stellar 2-0 shutout win to bring home the 2nd HFNHL Cup in team history.
Who says Lightning doesn't strike twice?!?
