5 Reasons that the Tampa Bay Lightning are Stanley Cup champions

Credit due from top to bottom.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the Stanley Cup Champions and, really, it’s an incredible feat that the National Hockey League found their way to finishing the 2019-2020 season.

Because of how this season played out, there may be some looking to undercut the value of this Lightning victory but that won’t be coming here. The Lightning were one of the top teams during the season and continued to dominate in the playoffs, even without one of their best players for nearly all of the postseason.

During the regular season, the Lightning ranked fourth in score-and-venue-adjusted Corsi (53.4%), second in score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals (54.7%) and third in score-and-venue-adjusted goals-for percentage (57.2%). By every measure, the Lightning were a bona fide Stanley Cup contender heading into the bubble.

They were in 2018-2019, too, and got swept out of the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets, so this season offered a real shot at redemption for the Lightning.

In the Cup Final, the Lightning controlled shot attempts (57.6% to 42.4%) but expected goals (51.5% to 48.5%) was closer and the Stars outscored Tampa Bay 12-11 during 5-on-5 play in the Final. The difference came on the power play, where the Lightning scored seven goals while the Stars managed just one goal with the man advantage.

Here are five reasons that the Lightning are ultimately the 2019-2020 Stanley Cup Champions:

The top line of Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov

With Steven Stamkos out, the Lightning attack didn’t have quite the same balance but the number one line had to lead the way an they sure did. In the playoffs, this line carried 65.3% of shot attempts during 5-on-5 play, an astonishing percentage, to go with 66.8% of expected goals, and 70.0% of actual goals, outscoring the opposition 21-9.

Kucherov was the leading scorer in the postseason, putting up 34 points (7 G, 27 A) in 25 games, just one point ahead of Point, who had 33 (14 G, 19 A) in 23 games. Palat isn’t quite on that level but still produced 18 points (11 G, 7 A) in 25 games.

Victor Hedman getting more aggressive

Hedman, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as Playoff MVP, had a tour de force performance in the playoffs. Hedman led all defensemen with 10 goals and contributed 22 points overall while averaging 26:28 of ice time per game. During the regular season, Hedman generated 2.35 shots on goal per game but took a more aggressive approach in the playoffs, with 3.28 shots on goal per game.

Teams that win the Stanley Cup typically have a star No. 1 defenseman who can handle a lot of responsibility and Hedman fulfilled that role for the Lightning. In the playoffs, the Lightning controlled 57.3% of shot attempts and 55.3% of expected goals with Hedman on the ice, outscoring the opposition 24-10 (70.6 GF%).

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy

It’s not easy to win without goaltending and Vasilevskiy was the backbone of Tampa Bay’s defensive effort. He started all 25 games and posted a .927 save percentage which is the kind of steadiness that this team needs.

Per Natural Stat Trick, in all situations, Vasilevskiy allowed 10.26 goals fewer than expected goals. Coupled with a team that was controlling shot counts, it should come as no surprise that this team was going to win a championship.

Yanni Gourde rising to the challenge

In 2017-2018, Gourde scored 64 points as a rookie. He was a 26-year-old rookie but it was still an impressive first full season in the league. This season, he managed 30 points in 70 games and he was down a couple of minutes of ice time per game.

It would have been reasonable to not hold high expectations for Gourde coming into this year’s playoffs and yet he was the most reliable forward outside of Tampa Bay’s top line. Gourde produced 14 points in 25 games but controlled shot attempts (56.4%) when he was on the ice and the Lightning outscored opponents 18-8 in the playoffs while Gourde was skating at 5-on-5.

The acquisitions paid off. Kevin Shattenkirk, Pat Maroon, Barclay Goodrow, Blake Coleman, even Jan Rutta, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn.

After last season’s playoff disappointment, getting swept out of the first round by Columbus, the Lightning appeared to make a concerted effort to add grit to their lineup.

Kevin Shattenkirk is more of a puck-moving skilled type of blueliner but he was a bargain ($1.75M) in free agency after he was bought out by the Rangers.

Pat Maroon won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis last season and signed as a cut-rate ($900,000) free agent last summer.

The Lightning traded for Barclay Goodrow at the trade deadline, sending a first-round pick to San Jose while receiving a third-round pick in return.

Blake Coleman was acquired from New Jersey at the deadline, with prospect Nolan Foote and Vancouver’s first-round pick (acquired in last summer’s J.T. Miller trade) going to the Devils.

Zach Bogosian, Luke Schenn, and Jan Rutta were added to provide inexpensive depth on the blueline and while they weren’t dominant, they contributed to the victory.

Bogosian has spent a career on the wrong side of shot differentials but was on the ice for nearly 59% of shot attempts and 52.5% of expected goals in 20 playoff games.

The core for the Lightning remained the same but they did a lot of tweaking around the edges.

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When building the core of a championship team, it’s nice to have a first overall pick like Steven Stamkos, and second overall pick like Victor Hedman, and a first-round goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it takes more creativity to build the supporting cast. In addition to the acquisitions noted above here is a bonus, and overarching, reason that the Lightning won the Cup:

The benefits of maximizing value.

Nikita Kucherov was a late second-round pick even though he had 21 points in seven games at U-18 tournament during his draft year.

Brayden Point was a late third-round pick after scoring 91 points in 72 games for Moose Jaw in the WHL.

Ondrej Palat was a seventh-round pick after scoring 96 points in 71 games in his final junior season with Drummondville of the QMJHL.

Anthony Cirelli was a third-round pick.    

Alex Killorn was a third-round pick out of Deerfield Academy, a U.S. Prep School.

Tyler Johnson was undrafted, signed after scoring 115 points in 71 games as an overager in the WHL.

Yanni Gourde, who was undrafted out of the Q, played two years in the minors, including 38 games in the ECHL, before the Lightning signed him.

Erik Cernak was acquired (with Peter Budaj and a seventh-round pick) from Los Angeles for Ben Bishop (and a fifth-round pick).

MIkhaeil Sergachev was acquired from Montreal for Jonathan Drouin.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the 2020 Stanley Cup champions and it is a well-deserved title, from the on-ice performances to the off-ice building required to create this club.

GM Julien BriseBois and head coach Jon Cooper deserve all the accolades that will come their way, so too will former GM Steve Yzerman, who played a big part in building this roster. It may be a year later than expected, and under incredible circumstances, but the memory of this one will last a long time.