The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to claim their second consecutive championship.

Tampa Bay won the title again after dispatching the Dallas Stars over six games in the 2019-20 final in the Edmonton bubble.

Montreal was vying for its first Stanley Cup victory since 1993, and the Canadian club was making its first appearance in the championship round since that year.

The Canadiens had the worst record among postseason squads this year, but they upset the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights en route to the Stanley Cup Final.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves to earn the shutout Wednesday - his fifth of this postseason - and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Tampa Bay rookie Ross Colton scored the lone goal of Game 5 in the second period.

The Lightning reached the final for the third time in seven years after the Chicago Blackhawks vanquished them over six games in 2015.

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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs' most valuable player on Wednesday night.

Vasilevskiy only lost seven games this postseason, and entered Game 5 with a .935 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average before securing his fifth shutout of the playoffs in the clincher.

More to come.

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Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced Wednesday that winger Alex Killorn is doubtful to play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.

Killorn blocked a shot in Game 1 and has missed the subsequent three contests despite being a game-time decision for Game 4.

The 31-year-old has recorded eight goals and nine assists in 19 games this postseason.

Mathieu Joseph has been inserted into the lineup in Killorn's absence, registering a pair of assists in three tilts.

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The NHL isn't planning to reschedule Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Tampa on Wednesday night despite the imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa.

There's "zero chance" the game would need to be delayed based on the storm's current trajectory, an NHL source told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. Forecasts are calling for the worst of the storm to end by Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for part of Florida's Gulf Coast with winds intensifying. All of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and other NHL personnel have already landed safely in the area.

Tampa International Airport shut down at 5 p.m. ET and aimed to reopen Wednesday morning after evaluating the conditions.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would keep tabs on the situation.

"(We) will continue to monitor and make a call when we have to," Daly said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. "We do have an amount of flexibility."

Game 5 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. The Lightning lead the series 3-1 and can win the Stanley Cup with a victory.

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Paul McFarland and Jay Leach were named the first two assistant coaches in Seattle Kraken history Tuesday.

McFarland and Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol served as assistants together with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20. McFarland was previously the assistant coach of the Florida Panthers from 2017-19 and head coach of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs from 2014-17. He left the Leafs last offseason to reprise his role with the Fronts before COVID-19 wiped out the campaign.

Leach spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Providence Bruins, compiling a 136-77-26 record and never missing the playoffs.

"We're very excited to add two talented hockey minds in Paul and Jay to our inaugural staff," Hakstol said. "Paul's work ethic and ability to communicate with players to give them the tools to be at their best, along with Jay's leadership and ability to coach and develop NHL talent, will be great additions to our team."

McFarland will focus on forwards and the power play. During his last season in Florida, the Panthers owned the second-best power play in the league. In his one season in Toronto, the Leafs ranked sixth with the man advantage.

Leach will be responsible for the defense corps. He played 70 games in the NHL as a defenseman from 2005-2011.

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Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has provided some insight into what his club will look like in the future.

"I think it’s building. I think that’s the right way to say it. We have a lot of young players that are talented," Adams said to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

"Sometimes, when players come into the league at a really young age, some people feel like maybe they’re older than they are. But guys like (Rasmus) Dahlin, (Dylan) Cozens, (Casey) Mittelstadt, these are very, very young players. So, we want to build.

"And I’ve been energized about this young core of Sabres we have that are hungry, and they want to be part of the solution. … These guys are proud to be Buffalo Sabres, they want to fix this and get this right, they want to move forward together. So that’s the young core that we’re working to build around."

Adams didn't mention captain Jack Eichel as part of the young core amid reported trade talks surrounding the star. In May, Eichel told reporters there was a "disconnect" between him and the franchise following a disagreement over how to treat his neck injury.

The 24-year-old has five years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $10 million. Buffalo selected him with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft.

The Sabres have had several lottery picks since picking Eichel. The club grabbed Mittelstadt with the eighth pick in 2017, Dahlin first overall in 2018, and Cozens at No. 7 in 2019. All three are under the age of 22 and played extremely well under new head coach Don Granato last season.

With a plethora of youthful talent, Adams has made it clear that his goal is to surround the budding trio with players that can help turn Buffalo back into a contender.

"We need to do a lot of building, we need to surround those young players with the right people, the right culture every day, with players who truly love being a Buffalo Sabre and want to get this right," Adams said.

Once again, the Sabres have the first overall pick in the upcoming draft and will add another fresh player to the mix. The team also selected Jack Quinn with the eighth pick in last year's draft, but he has yet to make his NHL debut.

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