Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that both shortened and delayed the start of the regular season, the series began on June 28, 2021, and concluded on July 7, 2021, marking the first time that games in the Stanley Cup Finals were held in July. The cross-border travel restrictions under the pandemic also forced the league to temporarily realign this season into four divisions with no conferences, putting all seven Canadian teams into one of those divisions. Consequently, a divisional-based postseason format was held, featuring intra-divisional matchups in the first two rounds. The four divisional playoff champions were then re-seeded by regular season points in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, with the winners of the Semifinals advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.[4] Under a normal playoff format, this finals matchup would be impossible, as both the Lightning and Canadiens compete in the NHL's Eastern Conference. However, under the temporarily realigned divisions, some had mixed conferences, which enabled this scenario.
This was the first Finals since 2009 to be played entirely in the Eastern Time Zone, the first since 2011 to feature a Canadian-based team, the first since 2015 to end in a team winning the Stanley Cup at home, and the first since 2018 to require less than six games.
This Finals matchup broke the Stanley Cup Finals record for highest combined seed between teams, with twenty-six (Tampa Bay eighth, and Montreal eighteenth).[5] This record was previously held by the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, which had a combined seed of twenty-three.[6]
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the league for the second straight year with the Government of Canada maintaining its cross-border travel restrictions. Consequently, the league temporarily realigned for this season into four regional divisions with no conferences, putting all seven Canadian teams into one of those divisions. Each team played 56 regular season games, all intra-divisional matchups. The league returned to the traditional 16-team playoff format, with the first two rounds of the playoffs also featuring intra-divisional matchups. This format delayed any possibility of cross-border travel until the third round.[7] The league explored the possibility of having the Canadian team that advanced to the third round hold their home games in a neutral NHL city in the U.S. but were granted a cross-border travel exemption approved by the Public Health Agency of Canada.[8][9]
Due to local COVID-19 health protocols during the regular season, all 24 American teams hosted a limited amount of in-person spectators while all seven Canadian teams played behind closed doors. During the first three rounds of the playoffs, a number of U.S. teams further increased their capacity, and three of the Canadian playoff teams admitted spectators for the first time.[10] The Canadiens were the first team from Canada to offer tickets to the general public.[11] By the time the Finals started, Florida health officials had allowed the Lightning to admit 16,300 fans (85 percent of full capacity) at Amalie Arena for game one, then allowed up to 100% capacity for game two and beyond.[12][13] The Canadiens were permitted to issue 3,500 tickets for the Bell Centre after Quebec health officials denied the team's request to increase it to 10,500 fans (50 percent of capacity) before game three.[14]
This was the thirty-fifth Stanley Cup Finals appearance for this team. They have won the Stanley Cup a record twenty-four times (the second most championships in major North American sports behind the New York Yankees' twenty-seven World Series victories). They are the most recent Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in 1993 (their most recent Finals appearance) against the Los Angeles Kings, winning in five games.[15] They were also the first Canadian team since the 2011 Vancouver Canucks to reach the Finals.[16]
On February 24, 2021, head coach Claude Julien was fired after coaching the team through parts of five seasons during his second stint as head coach of the Canadiens, which had registered a 9–5–4 record to start the season. Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was named interim head coach.[27]
The team finished with a record of 24–21–11 to finish fourth in the North Division. In the playoffs, the Canadiens came back from a 3–1 deficit in their series with their rivalToronto Maple Leafs to win in seven games,[28] swept the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, and knocked off the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup semifinals in six games.[29][30]
As they have done in the past, the Canadiens chose to use the French version of the Stanley Cup Finals logo patch on their jerseys.[31]
This was Tampa Bay's second consecutive and fourth overall Finals appearance. They won the previous year's Finals against the Dallas Stars in six games.[32]
Note: The numbers in parentheses represent each player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire playoffs.
Game one
Nikita Kucherov scored two goals and three points in game one.
The Lightning took the lead early in the first period. With Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak joining the rush with Ondrej Palat, Palat passed to an open Cernak who fired a wrist shot past Carey Price resulting in a 1–0 lead for Tampa Bay. In the second period, the Lightning grabbed a 2–0 lead when Blake Coleman's shot through traffic deflected off of Yanni Gourde and into the net. The Canadiens then halved the Lightning's lead as their offensive-zone coverage swept Tampa Bay's end setting up Ben Chiarot for a one-timer and Montreal's first goal of the game. The Lightning regained their two-goal lead in the third period when Nikita Kucherov's shot across the net got swatted by Chiarot and into his own net. After Brayden Point won a faceoff, the puck was picked up by Kucherov who fired a wrist shot past Price to gain a 4–1 lead. Towards the end of the third period and with frustrations boiling over for Montreal, Joel Edmundson took a roughing penalty with 2:40 left in the period. On the ensuing power-play, Kucherov passed to captain Steven Stamkos whose shot got past Price for a 5–1 lead, sealing the victory for the Lightning. The goal ended Montreal's penalty-killing streak at 32.[39]
Ondřej Palát's goal helped to secure Tampa Bay's win in game two.
In game two, the Canadiens poured off more shots than in the first game. The first period saw Montreal make thirteen shots compared to Tampa Bay's six. However, neither team was able to score in the opening frame. In the second period, Montreal had more than double the shots of Tampa Bay, yet the Lightning ended up with two goals in contrast to the Canadiens' one. The first Lightning goal came from Anthony Cirelli, whose point shot pinballed in off of Carey Price's blocker and into the net. After Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev committed an interference penalty on Artturi Lehkonen, Montreal tied the score on a power-play when Nick Suzuki floated a backhand shot through traffic and under Andrei Vasilevskiy's pads. With 1.1 seconds left in the second period, Tampa Bay forward Barclay Goodrow got past Ben Chiarot forcing a two-on-one with Blake Coleman. Goodrow passed it to Coleman who shot it past Price for the buzzer-beater. In the third period, Montreal continued to pressure the Lightning and Vasilevskiy, however, after a dump-in by Tampa Bay ended up in the Canadiens' zone, an errant pass off the boards by Joel Edmundson gave the puck away to Ondrej Palat, scoring the goal that made it 3–1. At the end of the game, both Corey Perry and Cirelli each received misconducts after an altercation.[40]
Tyler Johnson scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, in game three.
In the first four minutes of the first period, the Lightning grabbed a 2–0 lead. The first goal came from a point shot through traffic by Jan Rutta. After Eric Staal shot the puck over the glass causing a power-play for Tampa Bay, Victor Hedman scored the second goal when his point shot bounced off of Carey Price and into the net. The Canadiens were able to score a goal within their seventeen shots as a two-on-one with captain Shea Weber and Phillip Danault allowed the latter's wrist shot to rip off both posts and past Andrei Vasilevskiy. In the second period, the Lightning followed the same momentum from the first period with another two goals in the first four minutes. When an errant change by Montreal created an opening for Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov, Kucherov fired the puck past Price. At 3:33, the Lightning began another two-on-one rush during which Mathieu Joseph's shot rebounded to Tyler Johnson who scored to give Tampa Bay a 4–1 lead. However, just like the first period, Montreal scored which brought their deficit to two. Nick Suzuki, who drove down the right side of Tampa Bay's defensive zone, shot the puck under Vasilevskiy's pads. In the third period, the Lightning mainly held a defensive strategy. In the final five minutes, the Lightning gained a three-goal lead again when defenceman Erik Gustafsson gave the puck away to Johnson and he scored his second goal of the game. The Canadiens quickly rebounded after pulling their goalie and Corey Perry scored top-shelf over Vasilevskiy. However, with the empty net, the Lightning took advantage as Blake Coleman backhanded the puck into the net and the game ended 6–3.[41]
Josh Anderson, shown with Lake Erie, scored twice in game four, including the overtime-winning goal.
In the first period, the Canadiens scored first, taking their first lead in the series, as Nick Suzuki made a pretty passing play to Josh Anderson who fired it past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning were able to continue pressuring the Canadiens into the second period. This pressure led to a backhand pass by Ryan McDonagh to Barclay Goodrow as he fired the puck into an open net. In the third period, Alexander Romanov fired a wrist shot from the blue line, scoring to make it 2–1 for Montreal. The Lightning tied it five minutes later when Mathieu Joseph sprung a two-on-one with Patrick Maroon and the latter scored, ending his goal-scoring drought. With the game tied 2–2 after the third period, both teams headed to overtime. In overtime, the Canadiens killed a double-minor penalty caused by Shea Weber and less than a minute later, Anderson put the puck past Vasilevskiy, preventing the first four-game sweep in the Finals since 1998, and winning the game 3–2.[42]
Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his fifth-straight shutout in a series-clinching game in game five.
Tampa Bay dominated during the first period of game five, recording thirteen shots on target to the Canadiens' four, but neither team scored. The second period had the opposite trend, with the Canadiens getting ten shots compared to the Lightning's six shots. Nevertheless, it was Tampa Bay who scored the opening goal, when Ryan McDonagh set up a David Savard shot that was tipped in by Ross Colton. It would prove to be the only goal of the contest. Tampa Bay held onto their one-goal lead throughout the third period, with Andrei Vasilevskiy recording a shutout. The 1–0 victory won the series for Tampa Bay and their second consecutive Stanley Cup.[43]
Vasilevskiy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player during the playoffs. With their victory, the Lightning became the first team since the 1983 New York Islanders to win the Stanley Cup without winning an overtime game during the playoffs. Patrick Maroon won the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons, a feat which hadn't occurred since multiple members of the 1983 New York Islanders accomplished it.[44] Maroon was the first player since Ed Litzenberger in 1963 to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive years with two different teams.[45]
Allen Murray (Asst General Manager-Director of Amateur Scouting), Jamie Pushor (Asst. General Manager-Director of Player Personnel), Stacy Roest (Asst. General Manager-Director of Player Development), Mathieu Darche (Director of Hockey Operations),
Frantz Jean (Goaltending Coach), Brian Garlock (Video Coordinator), Nigel Kirwan (Video Coach), Ryan Hamilton (Mental Performance Coach)
Jean-Paul "J.P." Cote (Director of Player Development), Mark Lambert (Director of High Performance/Strength Coach),Tom Mulligan (Athletic Trainer),
Michael Poirier (Asst. Athletic Trainer), Ray Thill (Equipment Manager), Rob Kennedy (Asst. Equipment Manager), Jason Berger (Asst. Equipment Manager),
Christian Rivas (Massage Therapist), Brandon Rodgers (Physical Therapist, Asst. Strength & Conditioning Coach), Ryan Belec (Sr. Director of Team Services),
Liz Sylvia Kokoharsky (Director of Hockey Administration), Michael Peterson (Director of Hockey Analytics), Ben Morgan (Video Analysis/player Analytics)
Engraving notes
#52 Cal Foote (D) played 35 regular-season games, but did not dress in the playoffs. He qualified to be engraved by playing in half of Tampa Bay's regular-season games.
#14 Pat Maroon (LW) won his third consecutive Stanley Cup, after winning in 2019 with St. Louis and 2020 with Tampa Bay. He is the first player to do so since multiple members of the New York Islanders accomplished the feat in 1982 and 1983. He was also the first player since 1963 to win three cups in a row with two different teams, previously accomplished by Ed Litzenberger with Chicago in 1961 and Toronto in 1962 and 1963.
Assistant General Manager Al Murray was engraved as A.L. Murray, after having been engraved as Allen Murray the previous year.
#67 Mitchell Stephens played 7 regular-season games, but missed 35 games and the entirety of the playoffs due to injury. Tampa Bay did not request an injury exemption for him to be engraved, and his name was left off the Cup.
Tampa Bay did not request any non-qualified extra players to be included on the cup. Instead, four non-player personnel (Penny Vinik, Ryan Hamilton, Jean-Philippe Cote, and Ben Morgan), who were not engraved on the Cup the prior year, were added.
Player notes
These players were on the extended roster during the playoffs, with most having played regular-season games for Tampa Bay. None appeared in the playoffs. They received championship rings, but were left off the Stanley Cup.
In Canada, this was the seventh consecutive Stanley Cup Finals broadcast by Sportsnet and CBC Television in English, and TVA Sports in French.[46] The series was also streamed on Sportsnet Now and Rogers NHL Live.[1]
In the United States, this was the sixteenth consecutive and final Stanley Cup Finals produced by NBC Sports under their ten-year contract for American television rights to the NHL. NBCSN aired the first two games, while NBC televised the rest of the series. When the series started, only the first two games were available on Peacock,[47] NBC's streaming service. However, on July 2, the day of game three, NBCUniversal announced that the remainder of the series would also be available on Peacock.[2][48] Under the new seven-year contracts that began the next season, coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals will be rotated annually between ABC (which broadcast its first Stanley Cup Finals since 2004) in even years, and TNT (which will broadcast the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time ever in 2023; the first time the series will be aired entirely on cable television) in odd years.[49]
In Canada, Chris Cuthbert filled-in for Jim Hughson as Sportsnet lead play-by-play announcer after Hughson decided to not travel this season, and opted to only call national Vancouver Canucks home games due to COVID-19 pandemic.[50] Hughson would later announce his retirement in September 2021.[51]
In the U.S., Kenny Albert replaced the retired Mike "Doc" Emrick as NBC lead play-by-play announcer, having previously filled in for Emrick in game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals due to a death in the latter's family.[52][53] NBC lead color commentator Eddie Olczyk missed game two due to a personal matter, so "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Brian Boucher moved to the booth with Albert, and Pierre McGuire took over for Boucher between the benches.[3] McGuire also called Game 3 of this series since Boucher missed that game for the same reason.[54] After the Finals, Albert and Olczyk moved on to become TNT’s lead broadcast team (erstwhile NBC studio analyst Keith Jones was later added to join the pair),[55][56] while Boucher joined ESPN/ABC.[57][58] McGuire meanwhile, was hired by the Ottawa Senators as the team's senior vice-president of player development on July 12,[59] having gone nearly three full decades without a managerial job in the NHL.[60]
The series averaged 3.6 million people on Sportsnet and CBC, making it the most watched Finals in Canada since the last time a Canadian team advanced this far in 2011. Meanwhile, the series averaged 2.52 million U.S. viewers, an increase from the 2.15 million average during the previous season's COVID-19-delayed Finals.[61]
^"This is how it ends for the NHL on NBC — a small ratings bump for the Stanley Cup Final". The Athletic. July 9, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021. The entire five-game series, which was mostly one-sided as Tampa Bay defended its title, averaged 2.52 million, the network [NBC] said. That's up from last year's Final — played out-of-season in September and in a fan-less Edmonton "bubble" because of COVID-19 — that averaged 2.15 million ... The broadcast on Sportsnet/CBC averaged 4.1 million for Game 5 and 3.6 million for the series
