For the third season in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final.

Just 21 seconds after Frank Vatrano tied the game on a power-play goal, Steven Stamkos atoned for the penalty he had just taken by scoring the eventual game-winning goal. After a short review, the officials decided that Stamkos' second of the game was a good goal.

Even though you could read Jon Cooper’s lips saying “that’s on you” to Stamkos after taking the penalty that led to the game-tying power-play goal, Cooper shouldn't have a whole lot to complain about when it comes to Stamkos. The Tampa Bay captain has scored seven goals over his last eight games, leading the Bolts with nine playoff goals. If Tampa can finish the job, then Stamkos has to be in the Conn Smythe conversation.

Andrei Vasilevskiy did his thing again, stopping 20 of 21 shots he faced in the win. Vasilevskiy has allowed just one goal over each of his previous three games. He also has quality starts in each of his last four games.

Although Brayden Point skated this morning, he was not in the lineup for Game 6. After the game, Cooper said that he isn't sure about Point playing Game 1 of the final but that Point is "extremely probable" to play sometime in the final.  

Corey Perry will be making his third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, each with a different team. He is the second player in history to do this – Marian Hossa is the other one, if you remember his journey from Pittsburgh to Detroit and finally winning a Stanley Cup with Chicago. For Perry, if you can't beat 'em – join 'em.

Ryan Strome returned to the Rangers lineup after missing Game 5, while Dryden Hunt entered the lineup for the first time since Game 3 of their first-round series against Pittsburgh. All of this meant that Gerard Gallant decided to scratch Kaapo Kakko, which was a bit of a head scratcher. The decision to scratch Kakko effectively broke up the Kid Line, causing a complete reshuffling of the lines. On top of that, Strome left the game anyway with the same injury. I realize the Rangers' season is on the line and the Lightning might have been too much for them, but that's an easy move to second guess.

Although Alexis Lafreniere has been making his presence felt for his all-around game, he finishes without any points in his last five games. He also hasn't scored a goal since the Pittsburgh series.

Igor Shesterkin has posted quality starts in 14 of his last 15 games. He has officially arrived and should make the Rangers a tough out in any playoff series going forward.

The Stanley Cup Final will start on Wednesday, which will give the Lightning a few days to rest and the Avalanche even more rest time. I've gotta say that I think this is the best final matchup in years. Two teams with a winning pedigree. You have an Avalanche team that ran over its opponents both in the regular season and in the playoffs, losing just twice over the first three rounds. Then you have the Lightning, the two-time defending champion. The first-round four-game sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019 seemed to have a profound effect on the Lightning. It's like they said "never again," changing their game to be better equipped for the playoffs. They've been unstoppable since.

I'm having a really, really tough time picking against the Lightning. They simply have that "it" factor where they continue to find a way to win games. Down 0-2 to the Rangers? No problem, just win four straight. I've picked them to win nearly every playoff series they've been in dating all the way back to 2018, when they lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to Washington. Over that time, I've grown to really like that team. That being said, I picked Colorado to win it all before the season and also before the playoffs. They are a completely different animal compared to the Lightning's previous two Stanley Cup opponents. So I feel the need to stay the course here. Avalanche in 7 games.

Look for our writer's Stanley Cup Final picks shortly. In the meantime, you can review our round-by-round picks and regular-season picks here.

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According to Frank Seravalli, Barry Trotz and John Tortorella are believed to be finalists for the vacant Flyers head coaching job. The article didn't specify that they were the "only" finalists, just that they were both finalists and that the Flyers are trying to hire a big name to help regenerate interest in the Philadelphia market.

If I could prewrite the fantasy analysis on Trotz or Tortorella as the new Philly coach, I would admit that I don't think either coach will help the Flyers offensively. Some better numbers might be in store for Carter Hart, though. The Flyers as a team allowed over 3.5 goals per game last season, so that number should definitely improve with either of those two coaches.

Here's a handy guide to follow as to where some of the bigger coaching names could land, as listed by Elliotte Friedman in the second intermission.

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Over the past couple days, Isac Lundestrom has appeared as one of the top-searched players on Frozen Tools. Since there doesn't seem to be any recent news on the Ducks center, I'll break down what he may have to offer in fantasy leagues, in case you're wondering why he's a popular search.

Just finishing his second full NHL season after being drafted in the first round (23^rd overall) in 2018, Lundestrom is coming off career highs in goals (16), assists (13), and points (29). He did not score a single power-play point in the limited power-play time he received, but he led the Ducks with four shorthanded points (all goals). That SHG total was also tied for third in the entire league. Although his overall scoring numbers were career bests, he didn't finish the season on a high note with just three points over his final 20 games – all in one game (April 1 vs. Arizona).

Lundestrom seems penciled into a third-line center role with the Ducks behind Trevor Zegras and Adam Henrique. That doesn't seem to be ripe with offensive opportunities, but if the Ducks can stockpile some depth over the next few seasons, Lundestrom could develop into a Joel Eriksson Ek type of player. That being said, don't expect a major breakout from him in the near term. He could be a sneaky add in any leagues that count shorthanded points, but I won’t be going out of my way to add him in any of my leagues. I don’t have a compelling reason why he’s a popular search either.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.