Lightning Eliminate Islanders to Advance to Stanley Cup Finals

Anthony Cirelli scored 13 minutes and 18 seconds into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference final on September 17th. The Lightning took the series 4-2 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Dallas Stars. The Lightning are in the Finals for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. This is Tampa Bay’s third trip to the Finals; the Lightning beat the Calgary Flames to win the Stanley Cup in the 2003-4 season.

This is the Stars first trip to the Finals since losing to the New Jersey Devils in the 1999-2000 season. Dallas beat the Buffalo Sabres the previous season to win the franchise’s only Stanley Cup. The previous incarnation of the franchise, the Minnesota North Stars, played in the Finals twice, losing to the New York Islanders in the 1980-81 Finals and to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1990-91 Finals.

The Stanley Cup Finals, with every game being played in Edmonton, begin on September 19th.