This time, they get to celebrate in front of a full house in Tampa Bay. With a 1-0 win in Game 5, Tampa Bay eliminated the Canadiens, making the Lightning repeat Stanley Cup champions.
Ross Colton ended up scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal, while Andrei Vasilevskiy completed the repeat with his fifth shutout of the postseason. Vasilevskiy ended up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after Game 5.
Let’s run down how Game 5 played out.
Lightning repeat as Stanley Cup champions after blanking Canadiens in Game 5
To some degree, patterns repeated from Game 4 to Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Through the first period, the Lightning carried a lot of the play, yet Carey Price and the Canadiens didn’t yield a goal. The Bolts generated a 13-4 shots on goal advantage over the Habs in the first period, but Price & Co. kept things locked at 0-0.
Then, much like in Game 4, the Canadiens managed a nice second-period-pushback in Game 5. In part thanks to drawing some penalties, Montreal played a more focused middle frame, generating a SOG edge of 10-6.
(Each power play began Game 5 pretty slowly, too, matching 0-for-3 marks. This was a physical contest, and other penalties could have been called.)
Not everything stayed the same, though.
In the case of Game 5, the Lightning scored the first (and only) goal through the first 40 minutes.
Otherwise, it was a goalie duel between Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Of course, both defenses (particularly that of Tampa Bay) limited chances, and there were also some close calls. Tyler Johnson clanging a shot off the crossbar (and then looking to the heavens) was the most dramatic moment, but there were quite a few thrilling almosts.
Speaking of defense, the Lighting really clamped down during the third period to beat the Canadiens, and clinch their repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The Habs managed just six SOG during that final frame, making it relatively easy for Andrei Vasilevskiy to secure another series-closing shutout.
Vasilevskiy became the sixth goalie in NHL history, and second Lightning netminder, to record five shutouts or more during a single postseason. Via the NHL:
Read recaps from every game of Lightning Stanley Cup repeat run
STANLEY CUP FINAL: CANADIENS vs. LIGHTNING (TB wins series 4-1)
Game 1: Lightning 5, Canadiens 1
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 1
Game 3: Lightning 6, Canadiens 3
Game 4: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 5: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0
STANLEY CUP SEMIFINALS: LIGHTNING vs. ISLANDERS (TB wins series 4-3)
Game 1: Islanders 2, Lightning 1
Game 2: Lightning 4, Islanders 2
Game 3: Lightning 2, Islanders 1
Game 4: Islanders 3, Lightning 2
Game 5: Lightning 8, Islanders 0
Game 6: Islanders 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 7: Lightning 1, Islanders 0
SECOND ROUND: LIGHTNING vs. HURRICANES (TB wins series 4-1)
Game 1: Lightning 2, Hurricanes 1
Game 2: Lightning 2, Hurricanes 1
Game 3: Hurricanes 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 6, Hurricanes 4
Game 5: Lightning 2, Hurricanes 0
FIRST ROUND: PANTHERS vs. LIGHTNING (TB wins series 4-2)
Game 1: Lightning 5, Panthers 4
Game 2: Lightning 3, Panthers 1
Game 3: Panthers 6, Lightning 5 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 6, Panthers 2
Game 5: Panthers 4, Lightning 1
Game 6: Lightning 4, Panthers 0
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.