| 2021 Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| * – Denotes overtime period(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | Montreal:Bell Centre (3, 4) Tampa:Amalie Arena (1, 2, 5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | Montreal:Dominique Ducharme (interim) Tampa Bay:Jon Cooper | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | Montreal:Shea Weber Tampa Bay:Steven Stamkos | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | Francis Charron (1, 3) Gord Dwyer (3, 5) Eric Furlatt (2, 4) Dan O'Rourke (1, 5) Kelly Sutherland (2, 4) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | June 28 – July 7, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Series-winning goal | Ross Colton (13:27, Second, G5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Canadiens: Shea Weber (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Networks | Canada: (English):CBC/Sportsnet (French):TVA Sports United States: (English):NBCSN (1–2),NBC (3–5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | (CBC/SN)Chris Cuthbert andCraig Simpson[1] (TVA) Felix Seguin andPatrick Lalime (NBC/NBCSN)Kenny Albert,Eddie Olczyk (1, 3–5),Brian Boucher (1–2, 4–5), andPierre McGuire (2–3)[2][3] (NHL International) E.J. Hradek andKevin Weekes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The2021 Stanley Cup Final was thechampionship series of theNational Hockey League's (NHL)2020–21 season and the culmination of the2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between theMontreal Canadiens and thedefending Stanley Cup championTampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning won thebest-of-seven series, four games to one, for their second consecutive and the third overall championship in franchise history. Tampa Bay had home-ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record.
Due to theCOVID-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 Final were held in July. Thecross-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 Final.[4] Under a normal playoff format, this Final series matchup would be impossible, as both the Lightning and Canadiens compete in the NHL's Eastern Conference. However, under the temporarily realigned divisions and omission of conferences, this scenario became possible.
This was the first Final since2009 played entirely in theEastern Time Zone, the first since2011 to feature a Canadian-based team, the first since2015 to end in a team winning the Stanley Cup at home, and the first since2018 to require less than six games.
This Final matchup broke the Stanley Cup Final record for highest combined seed between teams, with 26 (Tampa Bay eighth, and Montreal 18th).[5] This record was previously held by the1991 Stanley Cup Final, which had a combined seed of 23.[6]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic impacted the league for the second straight year with theGovernment of Canada maintaining itscross-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 thePublic 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 playedbehind 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 Final started,Florida health officials had allowed the Lightning to admit 16,300 fans (85 percent of full capacity) atAmalie 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 theBell Centre afterQuebec health officials denied the team's request to increase it to 10,500 fans (50 percent of capacity) before game three.[14]
This was Montreal's 35th Stanley Cup Final appearance. They have won the Stanley Cup a record twenty-four times (the second most championships in major North American sports behind theNew York Yankees' twenty-sevenWorld Series victories). They are the most recent Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in1993 (their most recent Final appearance) against theLos Angeles Kings, winning in five games.[15] They were also the first Canadian team since the2011 Vancouver Canucks to reach the Final.[16]

During the offseason, the Canadiens traded left wingMax Domi and a third-round pick for right wingJosh Anderson.[17] They also picked up forwardsTyler Toffoli,Michael Frolik, andCorey Perry in free agency.[18][19][20] The team also re-signed goaltenderJake Allen and forwardBrendan Gallagher.[21][22] During the season,Hobey Baker Award winner and rookieCole Caufield made his debut with the Canadiens.[23] The team traded for forwardEric Staal as well as defencemenJon Merrill andErik Gustafsson.[24][25][26]
On February 24, 2021, head coachClaude 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 coachDominique Ducharme was named interim head coach.[27]
The team finished with a record of 24–21–11 to finish fourth in theNorth Division. In the playoffs, the Canadiens came back from a 3–1 deficit in their series with theirrivalToronto Maple Leafs to win in seven games,[28] swept theWinnipeg Jets in the second round, and knocked off theVegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup semifinals in six games.[29][30]
As they had in the past, the Canadiens used the French version of the Stanley Cup Final logo patch on their jerseys.[31]
This was Tampa Bay's second consecutive and fourth overall Final appearance. They won theprevious year against theDallas Stars in six games.[32]
Tampa Bay made very few transactions to gain players in the offseason. They traded awayBraydon Coburn andCedric Paquette and letZach Bogosian,Kevin Shattenkirk, andCarter Verhaeghe walk via free agency. They re-signedAnthony Cirelli,Patrick Maroon,Luke Schenn, andMikhail Sergachev.[33][34][35] During the season, they traded for defencemanDavid Savard[36] and traded away forwardAlexander Volkov. ForwardNikita Kucherov, who had hip surgery prior to the regular season, returned for the playoffs.
Tampa Bay finished with a 36–17–3 record to finish third in theCentral Division. In the playoffs, the Lightning defeated theirintrastate rival, theFlorida Panthers, in six games in the first round.[37] The Lightning then triumphed over theCarolina Hurricanes in five games and in the Stanley Cup semifinals, a rematch of theprevious year's Eastern Conference final, they defeated theNew York Islanders in seven games.[38]

The Lightning took the lead early in the first period. With Tampa Bay defensemanErik Cernak joining the rush withOndrej Palat, Palat passed to an open Cernak who fired a wrist shot pastCarey Price resulting in a 1–0 lead for Tampa Bay. In the second period, the Lightning grabbed a 2–0 lead whenBlake Coleman's shot through traffic deflected off ofYanni Gourde and into the net. The Canadiens then halved the Lightning's lead as their offensive-zone coverage swept Tampa Bay's end setting upBen Chiarot for a one-timer and Montreal's first goal of the game. The Lightning regained their two-goal lead in the third period whenNikita Kucherov's shot across the net got swatted by Chiarot and into his own net. AfterBrayden 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 captainSteven 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]
| June 28 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | TBL | Erik Cernak (1) | Ondrej Palat (7),Brayden Point (7) | 06:19 | 1–0 TBL |
| 2nd | TBL | Yanni Gourde (6) | Blake Coleman (7),Barclay Goodrow (2) | 05:47 | 2–0 TBL |
| MTL | Ben Chiarot (3) | Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3),Shea Weber (4) | 17:40 | 2–1 TBL | |
| 3rd | TBL | Nikita Kucherov (6) | Mikhail Sergachev (3) | 02:00 | 3–1 TBL |
| TBL | Nikita Kucherov (7) | Brayden Point (8) | 11:25 | 4–1 TBL | |
| TBL | Steven Stamkos (8) –pp | Nikita Kucherov (23), Brayden Point (9) | 18:50 | 5–1 TBL | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | TBL | Barclay Goodrow | Cross checking | 15:21 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Ben Chiarot | Roughing | 19:14 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | TBL | Erik Cernak | Roughing | 06:30 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Eric Staal | Roughing | 06:30 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Blake Coleman | Roughing | 13:42 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | High-sticking | 15:51 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Joel Edmundson | Roughing | 17:20 | 2:00 | |
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| MTL | 5 | 9 | 5 | 19 | |
| TBL | 7 | 12 | 8 | 27 | |

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 fromAnthony Cirelli, whose point shot pinballed in off ofCarey Price's blocker and into the net. After Lightning defencemanMikhail Sergachev committed an interference penalty onArtturi Lehkonen, Montreal tied the score on a power-play whenNick Suzuki floated a backhand shot through traffic and underAndrei Vasilevskiy's pads. With 1.1 seconds left in the second period, Tampa Bay forwardBarclay Goodrow got pastBen Chiarot forcing a two-on-one withBlake 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 byJoel Edmundson gave the puck away toOndrej Palat, scoring the goal that made it 3–1. At the end of the game, bothCorey Perry and Cirelli each received misconducts after an altercation.[40]
| June 30 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | TBL | Anthony Cirelli (5) | Tyler Johnson (2),Jan Rutta (1) | 06:40 | 1–0 TBL |
| MTL | Nick Suzuki (6) –pp | Unassisted | 10:36 | 1–1 | |
| TBL | Blake Coleman (2) | Barclay Goodrow (3),Ryan McDonagh (6) | 19:58 | 2–1 TBL | |
| 3rd | TBL | Ondrej Palat (5) | Unassisted | 15:42 | 3–1 TBL |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Jeff Petry | Tripping | 05:29 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Paul Byron | Slashing | 09:57 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Paul Byron | Slashing | 17:27 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Erik Cernak | Cross checking | 17:27 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Ryan McDonagh | High-sticking | 17:32 | 4:00 | |
| 2nd | TBL | Mikhail Sergachev | Interference | 10:03 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Joel Armia | High-sticking | 16:38 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | TBL | Anthony Cirelli | Cross checking | 20:00 | 2:00 |
| TBL | Anthony Cirelli | Misconduct | 20:00 | 10:00 | |
| MTL | Corey Perry | Roughing | 20:00 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Corey Perry | Misconduct | 20:00 | 10:00 | |
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| MTL | 13 | 16 | 14 | 43 | |
| TBL | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | |

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 byJan Rutta. AfterEric 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 ofCarey Price and into the net. The Canadiens were able to score a goal within their seventeen shots as a two-on-one with captainShea Weber andPhillip Danault allowed the latter's wrist shot to rip off both posts and pastAndrei 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 forOndrej Palat andNikita Kucherov, Kucherov fired the puck past Price. At 3:33, the Lightning began another two-on-one rush during whichMathieu Joseph's shot rebounded toTyler 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 defencemanErik Gustafsson gave the puck away to Johnson and he scored his second goal of the game. The Canadiens quickly rebounded after pulling their goalie andCorey Perry scored top-shelf over Vasilevskiy. However, with the empty net, the Lightning took advantage asBlake Coleman backhanded the puck into the net and the game ended 6–3.[41]
| July 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 6–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | TBL | Jan Rutta (2) | Ondrej Palat (7),Victor Hedman (16) | 01:52 | 1–0 TBL |
| TBL | Victor Hedman (2) –pp | Nikita Kucherov (24),Anthony Cirelli (7) | 03:27 | 2–0 TBL | |
| MTL | Phillip Danault (1) | Shea Weber (5) | 11:16 | 2–1 TBL | |
| 2nd | TBL | Nikita Kucherov (8) | Ondrej Palat (8),Erik Cernak (9) | 01:40 | 3–1 TBL |
| TBL | Tyler Johnson (3) | Mathieu Joseph (1),David Savard (4) | 03:33 | 4–1 TBL | |
| MTL | Nick Suzuki (3) | Jeff Petry (6),Cole Caufield (6) | 18:04 | 4–2 TBL | |
| 3rd | TBL | Tyler Johnson (7) | Unassisted | 15:19 | 5–2 TBL |
| MTL | Corey Perry (4) | Brendan Gallagher (4),Ben Chiarot (1) | 15:58 | 5–3 TBL | |
| TBL | Blake Coleman (7) –en | Barclay Goodrow (4) | 16:48 | 6–3 TBL | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Eric Staal | Delay of game (puck over glass) | 02:54 | 2:00 |
| TBL | Mikhail Sergachev | Interference | 17:29 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| TBL | 12 | 9 | 9 | 30 | |
| MTL | 17 | 8 | 10 | 35 | |

In the first period, the Canadiens scored first, taking their first lead in the series, asNick Suzuki made a pretty passing play toJosh Anderson who fired it pastAndrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning were able to continue pressuring the Canadiens into the second period. This pressure led to a backhand pass byRyan McDonagh toBarclay 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 whenMathieu Joseph sprung a two-on-one withPatrick 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 byShea Weber and less than a minute later, Anderson put the puck past Vasilevskiy, preventing the first four-game sweep in the Final since1998, and winning the game 3–2.[42]
| July 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2–3 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MTL | Josh Anderson (4) | Nick Suzuki (9),Cole Caufield (7) | 15:39 | 1–0 MTL |
| 2nd | TBL | Barclay Goodrow (2) | Ryan McDonagh (7),Blake Coleman (8) | 17:20 | 1–1 |
| 3rd | MTL | Alexander Romanov (1) | Jake Evans (1) | 08:48 | 2–1 MTL |
| TBL | Patrick Maroon (2) | Mathieu Joseph (2),Tyler Johnson (3) | 13:48 | 2–2 | |
| OT | MTL | Josh Anderson (5) | Cole Caufield (8) | 03:57 | 3–2 MTL |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Jake Evans | Interference | 16:33 | 2:00 |
| TBL | Brayden Point | Roughing | 16:33 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Joel Edmundson | Slashing | 17:59 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Patrick Maroon | Unsportsmanlike conduct | 20:00 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Joel Edmundson | Unsportsmanlike conduct | 20:00 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | TBL | Brayden Point | High-sticking | 05:50 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Corey Perry | Hooking | 09:43 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Joel Armia | Tripping | 14:28 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MTL | Jeff Petry | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Ben Chiarot | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Josh Anderson | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Barclay Goodrow | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Blake Coleman | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Yanni Gourde | Roughing | 07:42 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Shea Weber | High-sticking | 18:59 | 4:00 | |
| OT | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Total |
| TBL | 12 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 34 |
| MTL | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 21 |

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, whenRyan McDonagh set up aDavid Savard shot that was tipped in byRoss Colton. It would prove to be the only goal of the contest. Tampa Bay held onto their one-goal lead throughout the third period, withAndrei Vasilevskiy recording a shutout. The 1–0 victory won the series for Tampa Bay and their second consecutive Stanley Cup.[43]
Vasilevskiy was awarded theConn Smythe Trophy asmost valuable player during the playoffs. With their victory, the Lightning became the first team since the1983 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 the1983 New York Islanders accomplished it.[44] Maroon was the first player sinceEd Litzenberger in1963 to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive years with two different teams.[45]
| July 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Amalie Arena | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | TBL | Ross Colton (4) | David Savard (5),Ryan McDonagh (8) | 13:27 | 1–0 TBL |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Corey Perry | Hooking | 03:21 | 2:00 |
| TBL | Jan Rutta | Cross-checking | 07:19 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Corey Perry | Embellishment | 08:15 | 2:00 | |
| TBL | Erik Cernak | Interference | 08:15 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Josh Anderson | Hooking | 08:43 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | TBL | David Savard | Delay of game (puck over glass) | 00:21 | 2:00 |
| TBL | Mikhail Sergachev | Tripping | 08:32 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Ben Chiarot | Holding | 19:22 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| MTL | 4 | 10 | 8 | 22 | |
| TBL | 13 | 6 | 11 | 30 | |
Years indicated inboldface under the "Final appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.


The Stanley Cup was presented to Lightning captain Steven Stamkos byNHL commissionerGary Bettman following the Lightning's 1–0 win in Game 5.
The following Lightning players and staff qualified to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:
2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning
With the series running through the first week of July, no games were held on eitherCanada Day (July 1) orAmerican Independence Day (July 4) to avoid scheduling conflicts.
In Canada, this was the seventh consecutive Stanley Cup Final broadcast bySportsnet andCBC Television inEnglish, andTVA Sports inFrench.[47] 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 Final produced byNBC Sports under their ten-year contract for American television rights to the NHL.NBCSN aired the first two games, whileNBC televised the rest of the series. When the series started, only the first two games were available onPeacock,[48] 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][49] Under the new seven-year contracts that began the next season, coverage of the Stanley Cup Final will be rotated annually betweenABC (which broadcast its first Stanley Cup Final since2004) in even years, andTNT (which will broadcast the Stanley Cup Final for the first time ever in 2023; the first time the series will be aired entirely on cable television) in odd years.[50]
In Canada,Chris Cuthbert filled-in forJim Hughson as Sportsnet lead play-by-play announcer after Hughson decided to not travel this season, and opted to only call nationalVancouver Canucks home games due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[51] Hughson would later announce his retirement in September 2021.[52]
In the U.S.,Kenny Albert replaced the retiredMike "Doc" Emrick as NBC lead play-by-play announcer, having previously filled in for Emrick in game one of the2014 Stanley Cup Final due to a death in the latter's family.[53][54] NBC lead color commentatorEddie Olczyk missed game two due to a personal matter, so "Inside-the-Glass" reporterBrian Boucher moved to the booth with Albert, andPierre 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.[55] After the Final, Albert and Olczyk moved on to becomeTNT’s lead broadcast team (erstwhile NBC studio analystKeith Jones was later added to join the pair),[56][57] while Boucher joinedESPN/ABC.[58][59] McGuire meanwhile, was hired by theOttawa Senators as the team's senior vice-president of player development on July 12,[60] having gone nearly three full decades without a managerial job in the NHL.[61]
The series averaged 3.6 million people on Sportsnet and CBC, making it the most watched Final in Canada since the last time a Canadian team advanced this far in2011. 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 Final series.[62]
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
| Preceded by | Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup champions 2021 | Succeeded by |