Can the Tampa Bay Lightning Strike Three Times in the Same Place?

It is immensely hard to win the Stanley Cup--20 of the NHL's 32 teams have done so, that's only 62.5% of the league. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning are one of those 20 teams who have hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup. It is even harder, especially nowadays, to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, but the Lightning are the most recent team to do so--winning in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, April 14, but prior to Anthony Cirelli's overtime goal, they had already clinched a playoff spot when the New York Islanders lost in regulation. With that, the Lightning now have a chance to do something that no team has done in 40 years: three-peat.

You have to go all the way back to the beginning of the 1980s for a three-peat, the New York Islanders winning four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83, and actually having a chance for a fifth straight in 1984, only to be downed by the up-and-coming Edmonton Oilers dynasty. The amazing thing is that the Lightning's Cups came right after they suffered the most embarrassing defeat in Stanley Cup Playoff history. We've heard the story enough times: 62 wins, tying an NHL record, but were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets--who hadn't won a playoff series entering that season. When their players accepted their individual awards, it was immensely bittersweet, and in my estimation, that playoff loss really angered them. Just look what they've done since! Not only did they win back-to-back Stanley Cups, but thanks to the COVID-affected scheduling, they won those Cups in a span of 9 1/2 months.

Andrei Vasilevskiy. I have heard it all about this man, and guess what? It's all true. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the league; he has definitely proven to be the current measuring stick in the last few seasons. "Vasi," as he is often called, won the Vezina Trophy in the infamous 2018-19 season, and his stellar play in net led the way during both of Tampa Bay's recent championships. Here are Vasi's numbers in his championship runs: 34-14, 1.90 GAA, .932 SV%, and six shutouts. The 34 wins include the two Round Robin games in the Toronto bubble, as they counted as playoff games, but even so, back-to-back years with a GAA under 2.00. That's insanely epic.

As for this year, Vasi is 35-17-5, with a 2.46 GAA, a .917 SV%, but only two shutouts. A low shutout total, but Vasi is still proving to be the nucleus of that Lightning team. Overall, Tampa Bay has a 2.74 GAA, which is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for 7th in the league.

Even though I am a diehard Avalanche fan who swears by the young blue line phenom known as Cale Makar, I cannot deny that Victor Hedman is the current standard among defensemen. Hedman captured the Norris Trophy in 2018, and he was the Conn Smythe winner during the Lightning's 2020 Stanley Cup Championship. That year, he racked up 22 points (10 G/12 A) in 25 playoff games, absolutely impressive. This season, Hedman's 68 points (19 G/49 A) are second on the team and third among all defensemen, behind Roman Josi (NSH) and the aforementioned Makar. Hedman's 19 goals are tied for 2nd with Josi, but are seven less than Makar's total.

The points leader on the team is Steven Stamkos with 82 (32 G/50 A), though players like Brayden Point (27 G-28 A- 55 P) and Alex Killorn (22 G-32 A-54 P) have also been vital to the team. The Bolts have had to play most of their season without Nikita Kucherov, who is always a force on the team, but this season, he racked up 47 points (16 G/31 A) in 39 games, getting over a point a game. One of the big news during the last offseason was Corey Perry joining the Lightning, doing so after losing the Cup Final to them in back-to-back years (Perry was with the Dallas Stars in 2020 and the Montréal Canadiens in 2021). So far, Perry has 36 points, 17 of them goals, so he has done very well this season.

The Lightning are scoring 3.26 goals per game, which is 11th in the NHL. Their power play does need improvement, 20.9% is middle of the pack. Their 81.9 penalty kill percentage puts Tampa Bay at 10th in the league, and they've scored six shorthanded goals. The Lightning's clinch leaves only two spots left in the Eastern Conference, but regarding their own standing in the Atlantic Division, that's where it gets interesting. There is a real possibility that the back-to-back defending champions could end up as a Wild Card and face either of the division winners. Their chances of finishing first in the Atlantic are slim, but they could still get 2nd place and get home ice in the Atlantic Semifinals. In any event, Tampa Bay could face either the Boston Bruins or the Toronto Maple Leafs in that opening round, but regardless, the million dollar questions are out there. Can the Lightning do it? Can the Lightning win their third straight Stanley Cup? We will know the answer once the playoffs start on May 2.

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