Yeah, I know at the time of this article, we're 2 games into the Stanley Cup Finals already. I just didn't feel like writing because both series ended the way I didn't want. Even with that in mind, you should still be able to tell who moved on to that from these 2 series recaps.
NYR vs. TB- TB wins series 4-2
Game 6 was on June 11
Who does Tampa think they are, the 1980s Islanders dynasty?
In case you're unfamiliar with that bunch, they won 4 straight Stanley Cups in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. That is also the last time any team won 3 or more in a row. And of course, just like their hollow 1-0 victory to win the Cup last year, Tampa achieved an identical victory in Game 6. And it only went that far because New York failed to live up to their playoff slogan of "No Quit in New York". Ironic. They quit in Games 4 and 5. Steven Stamkos (8) at 10:43 opened the scoring for either side, and that was 10:43 of the second period, not the first period as you might've expected. It was also the only goal in the 2nd frame entirely. In the 3rd period, New York tied things at 1 at 13:07, courtesy of Frank Vatrano (5) on the power play, making it look like they had some mojo back until it was quickly erased by Stamkos' 2nd of the game (9) a mere 21 seconds later. New York then decided to completely abandon any chance of extending this series, as the game would end at 2-1 Lightning to send Tampa to their 3rd straight Stanley Cup Final. And guess what? Game 7 was back in New York. Great job, guys! That's no quit at all!
Team Stats:
Shots: NYR 21, TB 31
Hits: NYR 42, TB 34
Faceoff Wins: NYR 30, TB 22
PIM: NYR 4, TB 6
COL vs. EDM- COL won series 4-0
Game 4 was on June 6
That corgi was dead wrong.
Even if Edmonton had any scenarios where they would pull out an upset victory over the Avalanche, Game 7 would've been the most likely. But even then, the Oilers had no chance against the Western Conference kings. By the way, that corgi I mentioned did in fact pick the Oilers over the Avs in 7. What we got though was Colorado's 2nd series sweep of these playoffs. On top of that, they also did it in sudden death 20-minute overtime, marking the 2nd time the Avs knocked out an opponent in dramatic fashion. They did it the first time against St. Louis. Cale Makar (5) opened the scoring for Colorado at 3:46 on the power play, and the Avs would take that 1-0 heading to the 2nd period. And that 2nd period was all Oilers, as they would rack up 3 straight goals for a 3-1 lead heading to period 3, tallies from Zach Hyman (10) at 7:39, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (6) at 16:57, and Connor McDavid's PPG (10) at 18:54. Colorado didn't even seem fazed by that outburst though, as they only needed 31 seconds into the 3rd period to pull within 1 from Devon Toews (5). Edmonton boosted their lead once again to 4-2 courtesy of Hyman's (11) 2nd of the night at 3:55. However, the Avs would tally a 3-goal barrage of their own after that, from Gabriel Landeskog (8) at 8:58, Nathan MacKinnon (11) at 13:30, and Mikko Rantanen (5) on the power play at 14:47 to grab a 5-4 lead. (The description made it sound like a much bigger comeback, didn't it?) Zack Kassian (2) scored at 16:38 to tie things at 5 for the Oilers, setting the stage for some 20-minute OT, which ended up lasting less than a minute and a half as Artturi Lehkonen (6) scored at 1:19 to send the Avs to their first Stanley Cup Final since they last won it all in 2001.
Team Stats:
Shots: COL 42, EDM 35
Hits: COL 30, EDM 44
Faceoff Wins: COL 26, EDM 38
PIM: COL 10, EDM 4
Up Next: Stanley Cup Final, TB vs. COL, Game 3 @ TB, 6/20, 8 PM
COL leads series 2-0
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