Veteran courage, Hudobin's stamina and Tampa psychology: what can help Dallas win the Stanley Cup

Motivated veterans

The Stanley Cup Final clearly demonstrates how big a role hockey veterans can play in their quest for the top National Hockey League trophy.

Regardless of how the playoffs end this year, it will be remembered for the incredible makeover of 36-year-old Joe Pavelski and 35-year-old Corey Perry.

Both hockey legends came to the Dallas Stars after being written off, but now they are dragging the entire team to the top.

Pavelski plays beautifully throughout the post-pandemic period.

He has scored 13 goals and shares the lead in the sniper race with Braden Point.

Kerry was not so visible, but the two-time Olympic champion woke up in time in the final series.

Together, they scored the last six goals of Dallas, practically saved the team in the fourth game and got them a victory in the fifth.

A double in the last match kept Kerry's chances of winning the Stanley Cup a second time after 13 years.

Their motivation and skill that does not age over time should now at least inspire teammates, many of whom may no longer have a chance to win the playoffs.

Pavelski is just setting an excellent example, because the Stanley Cup has never been submitted to him.

It is unlikely that he will allow one of the partners to play half the strength in the remaining matches of the series.

The Tampa Bay Lightning simply does not have such charismatic veterans.

All players on the ice are no older than 32 and have not yet earned the status of living legends.

Unless Steven Stamkos fits this definition, but still he is still quite young in comparison with Pavelski and Kerry.

In addition, after a short-term and productive appearance in the fourth match, it became known that the forward would no longer play in the final.

In his absence, others were responsible for the result.

Confidence of Khudobin

Dallas head coach Rick Bowness keeps repeating that his team would not have reached the Stanley Cup final without Anton Khudobin.

But he is not going to stop at this minimum problem.

Although not all games in the series with Tampa went smoothly for the Russian goalkeeper, he still brought his team two victories, including the most important one in the fifth match, making 39 saves in 90 minutes of playing time.

The last game showed that Khudobin has finally adapted to Tampa's heavy attacking style.

The Russian goalkeeper has repeatedly demonstrated in the past that he can cope with a colossal volume of loads, and now he has again entered the mode necessary for this.

A failed third game with five goals conceded should be a thing of the past for him.

After her, Khudobin no longer missed easy goals, and Lightning had to play the puck before taking it to the right.

It is important to note that, despite the enormous fatigue, Khudobin himself asked the coaching staff to release him on the ice in the third match in four days.

This indicates how confident he is in his abilities and is ready to take responsibility for the result.

It is quite possible that Andrei Sekera took an example from him when, after an injury he received in the first period, he returned to the ice in the third.

With his game, Khudobin not only saves Dallas in a way available to him, but also reminds everyone that it is too early to go on vacation.

Majority implementation

In order to finally turn the course of the series, “Dallas” must definitely remember that it was he who was the best in the playoffs in realizing the majority.

Before the final, the Texans scored 18 goals after 66 deletions, that is, at least every fourth opponent's penalty resulted in a goal.

In a series with “Tampa”, such a pace should have led to at least four goals scored.

Cooper's men were outnumbered 16 times, but conceded only once when Pavelski narrowed the gap a bit in the second leg.

It can be recalled that in the fifth game the removal of Eric Cernak led to the puck of the American striker, since the Slovak had just left the penalty box, but still formally it was a goal in equal compositions.

And it is necessary to follow the example of "Stars" just from your opponent.

The Lightning have punished the Texans six times, playing exactly the same number of times in the majority.

At the same time, in the previous series, the implementation of an extra player gave the winner of the Eastern Conference much more problems (10 out of 52).

Alexander Radulov and the company have already managed to improve discipline - only Tyler Segin was punished in the fifth match.

But now you need to remember again how to realize your chances in the majority.

Complexes "Tampa"

All recent years "Tampa" for great accomplishments lacked one thing - a strong character.

The Washington Capitals were once considered the weakest team in the NHL, and have suffered one playoff disaster after another.

A club from Florida now fits that description better.

Of course, it would be difficult to reach the Stanley Cup final twice in five years solely on skill and discipline.

But for “Tampa” lately it has become the norm to suddenly quit the game and follow the lead of the opponent, dissolving against his background.

This was the case last year, it happened sometimes this year, including in the first match against Dallas.

John Cooper has not yet found a reliable vaccine for this "ailment" for his team, and at any moment it may start to get feverish.

Then the salvation of Andrei Vasilevsky and the productive achievements of Nikita Kucherov, almost the only ones that always keep the brand, will not be enough.

In this Stanley Cup final, Tampa had already stumbled in match five, failing to keep the winning score and losing in overtime.

Six times the team celebrated success in extra time, but now it failed to score only one goal in half an hour against Khudobin in order to finally end the series.

Dallas should not hope that Lightning will crumble further, but it is also impossible to exclude such an option for a team that has once again lost its captain.