NHL Playoffs 2021: Latest Stanley Cup Scores and Predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning faced elimination for the first time this postseason Friday night. However, they weren't going to allow their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions end there.

In a winner-take-all Game 7 matchup, the Lightning shut down the Islanders for a 1-0 win. Consequently, Tampa Bay returns to the Stanley Cup Final, where it will take on the Montreal Canadiens, the surprise team of the playoffs.

If the Lightning win the Cup, they would be the first team to repeat as champions since the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Canadiens win, they would be the first team from Canada to capture the Cup since they did so in their last Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1993.

Here's a look back at the results from the semifinal series and a look ahead to the Stanley Cup Final.

Stanley Cup Semifinal Results

No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens

Game 1: Vegas won 4-1
Game 2: Montreal won 3-2
Game 3: Montreal won 3-2 (OT)
Game 4: Vegas won 2-1 (OT)
Game 5: Montreal won 4-1
Game 6: Montreal won 3-2 (OT)

No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 4 New York Islanders

Game 1: New York won 2-1.
Game 2: Tampa Bay won 4-2
Game 3: Tampa Bay won 2-1
Game 4: New York won 3-2
Game 5: Tampa Bay won 8-0
Game 6: New York won 3-2 (OT)
Game 7: Tampa Bay won 1-0

Stanley Cup Final Preview, Prediction

Even as the Lightning allowed the Islanders to get back into their Stanley Cup semifinal series, their defense continued to play well. They never allowed more than three goals in any of the seven games, and they gave up only 11 total goals in the series.

Tampa Bay's defense, fueled by goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, also came up big when it needed to the most. The Lightning shut out the Islanders in both Games 5 and 7 to protect their home ice and, in the case of the latter, advance.

If the Canadiens are going to continue their incredible run, they are going to have to find a way to generate more offense than the Islanders did and hope their defense remains sharp. The Habs allowed four goals in their Game 1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights but gave up only nine total goals over the final five games of the series.

The Stanley Cup Final boasts a tremendous goaltending matchup, as Vasilevskiy and Montreal's Carey Price are key reasons for their respective teams making it this far. Don't be surprised if there are some low-scoring matchups on the horizon.

"It's becoming a broken record, but it's not how many you put in the net—it's how many you keep out," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, per Fred Goodall of the Associated Press. "It's a hard lesson to learn, especially the players coming up today and the skill, the rules getting put into place that open up skill and to skate and to score. But when you get to the playoffs it's about defending."

Tampa Bay has experience on its side considering it was playing in the Stanley Cup Final less than a year ago. The Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in a six-game series in the NHL bubble last season to win the second Cup in franchise history.

That's why Tampa Bay is going to be favorited in the series. But Montreal is used to being the underdog in this postseason, having knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas to get here.

"We should've known better," NBC Sports analyst Patrick Sharp said, per John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. "It's a team that's got some belief, no question about that, and those teams are often the most dangerous this time of year."

But this may be the point when the Canadiens' string of upsets comes to an end.

The Lightning are a complete, well-rounded team. They mostly rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs and then got tested by the Islanders in a competitive series. Tampa Bay won't be intimidated by the big stage. In fact, it will thrive.

While the Habs won't go down without a fight, the Lightning will mostly control the series. Don't expect them to trail in the Stanley Cup Final, and they will put away the Canadiens in six games. Vasilevskiy will come through again when needed, while Tampa Bay's offense will do a better job of producing and capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

Prediction: Tampa Bay wins in six games.