Tampa Bay Claims The Stanley Cup

September 29, 2020 3:48 am

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning are the champions of bubble hockey.  Brayden Point scored his playoff-best 14th goal, and the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup and finish off the NHL playoffs staged in quarantine during the pandemic.  The clock hitting zeros in an empty arena set off a wild celebration for a group that endured years of playoff heartbreak and two months in isolation.  Goals from Point and Blake Coleman and a 22-save shutout by Andrei Vasilevskiy were enough to power the Lightning to their second championship in franchise history after winning it in 2004.  Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The playoffs became a showcase of the big Swede’s skills on both ends of the ice. He also showed key leadership in the absence of injured captain Steven Stamkos.