Lightning Defeat Rangers to Punch Their Ticket to Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to win their third-straight Stanely Cup as they head to the Final to take on the Colorado Avalanche. They punched their ticket to the dance after defeating the New York Rangers on Saturday night. A 2-1 final score helped the Lightning move on in six games and they’ll take on a well-rested Avs team who took out the Edmonton Oilers in four straight.

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HERE WE GO AGAIN. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Qy4edyIGoR

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 12, 2022

While Steven Stamkos scored twice to be the hero of the game, what will likely be remembered is how Saturday’s game was quite chippy. It included a very questionable hit by Alexis Lafreniere on defenseman Victor Hedman, one the officials missed but the league will likely look at. TSN’s Darren Dreger said,
“Not sure how the officials missed the Lafreniere headshot on Hedman, but DOPS will review it for sure. Dangerous play.” Ryan Whitney of Spittin’ Chiclets wrote, “Is it not a suspension in the NHL now when you just bury someone in the head with no contact anywhere else? He ran across the ice and got him with a headshot. That is how the league is called now.”

Avs vs. Lightning

The series between the Avalanche and Lightning should be a showcase of skill and talent that fans can certainly get excited about. On one side, you have a team that knows how to win and has proven it again, moving up from a lower seed and trying to do something few other teams have done in the modern NHL era. On the other side, you have a team that was almost the Presidents’ Trophy winners that has felt the disappointment of not reaching expected levels but is clearly the favorite.

Can the powerhouse Avs defeat the tested and experienced Lightning? It will be a tough ask as the Lightning have won two Stanley Cups, and been to four Cup Finals and six Conference Finals just this past decade alone.

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