The Tampa Bay Lightning hockey pros have reached the Stanley Cup finals again.
The Colorado Avalanche will face off in the NHL title final. The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup for the past two years.
Tampa Bay secured their third final appearance in a row with a 2-1 home win in the sixth playoff game against the New York Rangers on Saturday (local time). The team around Captain Steven Stamkos was already 0:2 behind in the best-of-seven format, but still won 4:2. Only eight teams have managed this feat in NHL history.
Stamkos scores both goals
Stamkos scored both goals for Tampa on Saturday, Frank Vatrano scored for Rangers. The best-of-seven finals series begins Wednesday (June 15) in Denver. Colorado had eliminated the Edmonton Oilers with Germany’s ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl.
“Stamkos is incredible,” Canada’s Anthony Cirelli said of his captain. “He’s just an outstanding captain. He exemplifies leadership in the dressing room. He’s a player for important games.” Stamkos himself put the team first: “Nobody complains about their role, everyone plays as hard as they can for whoever is next to them in the dressing room. That’s what makes this team so special.”
dpa
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