The 2021 NHL season has finally come to an end. The Tampa Bay Lightning have repeated as Stanley Cup champions, becoming only the eighth franchise in league history that’s won the fabled trophy in consecutive seasons. Two former Philadelphia Flyers defensemen saw their teams square off in the Stanley Cup Final, as Erik Gustafsson suited up for the Montreal Canadiens while Luke Schenn watched his Lightning teammates play for the Stanley Cup.
Fifteen players who donned the orange and black at some point appeared in the first round of the playoffs, four in the second round, and only two in the Semifinals and the Stanley Cup.
ERIK GUSTAFSSON – MONTREAL CANADIENS
Gustafsson was a part of the blue line that helped the Canadiens make a storybook run to the Stanley Cup Final.
He played in the first three games of the series for Montreal, registering no points while recording four shots on goal, four hits, six giveaways, and a minus-2 rating. He skated 12:06 in average time on ice (ATOI) for interim bench boss Dominque Ducharme. Gustafsson was healthy scratched for Games 4 and 5, along with defenseman Jon Merill, in favor of blueliners Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak after a horrendous showing in Game 3.
Gustafsson finished the 2021 postseason run with 16 games played, one goal, two assists, eight hits, a plus-3 rating, one takeaway, 11 giveaways, and 10:00 of ATOI. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
LUKE SCHENN – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Schenn did not appear in a game for the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, but he was on the ice to hoist the Cup for the second straight season. He last appeared in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals against the New York Islanders, an overtime loss for the Lightning.
Schenn finished the postseason with eight games played, one goal, 20 hits, a plus-1 rating, four blocked shots, nine penalty minutes, three giveaways, and 9:14 ATOI. He has won his second consecutive Stanley Cup with the Lightning after his brother Brayden, also a former Flyer, won it with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.