PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) The Tampa Bay Lightning are a single win away from accomplishing something that has only been done one other time in the NHL salary cap era.
With one more win over the Montreal Canadiens, the Lightning will have won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships.
The Lightning would join the Pittsburgh Penguins of 2016-2017 as the only other team to do so in the salary cap era.
While what the Penguins did four and five years ago was impressive, is the Lightning’s accomplishment more or less impressive?
Take a look at all of the extra details that went into the Lightning back-to-back seasons: A 2019-20 season that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, then playing that postseason in a bubble setting.
The pandemic lasted into the following season, shortening the regular season to 56 games and rearranging the divisions so each team only played a certain group.
When the Penguins reached the mountain-top twice they were in normal, 82-game seasons.
Then there’s the salary issues that the Lightning have been making headlines with.
Lightning star winger Nikita Kucherov was injured for the entire regular season, but returned for the playoffs and his salary pushed them over the cap limit.
But, due to some circumventing, what the Lightning did was totally legal and within the NHL’s guidelines.
While what both teams did is a rare achievement in any sport, does the Penguins back-to-back championships hold up against what the Lightning are a win away from accomplishing?