NHL Stanley Cup 2020 Finals

The 2020 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals series begins tonight between the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Both teams have defeated some really good teams in order to reach this point.

The Dallas Stars were the #3 seed in the Western Conference, but they knocked off the #2 seed Colorado Avalanche in seven games during the Western Conference Semifinals and they shellacked the #1 seed Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team finally showed some toughness by squashing the Boston Bruins, the defending Eastern Conference champs, in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Lightning then defeated the upstart New York Islanders in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The unique quality about both teams is that their defensemen play key roles in the offense.  Both defenses look to generate offense from the point.