The Tampa Bay Lightning are the champions of bubble hockey.

Brayden Point scored his playoff-best 14th goal and the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Monday night to win the Stanley Cup and finish off the most unusual NHL postseason in history, staged nearly entirely in quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic. The clock hitting zeros in an empty arena nonetheless set off a joyful celebration for a team that endured years of playoff heartbreak and two months in isolation.

"It takes a lot to be in a bubble for 80 days or whatever long it was," said defenseman Victor Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. "But it's all worth it now, we're coming home with the Cup."

Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry don't want to leave the bubble just yet.

Pavelski tied it with 6 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation and then laid out to block a shot in the first overtime before Perry scored the winner in double OT, and the Dallas Stars avoided elimination Saturday night by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 to force a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday was a back-and-forth battle with no shortage of lead changes or thrilling moments.

Ultimately, there was also no shortage of controversies in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 5-4 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. It gives the Lightning a commanding 3-1 lead, just one win away from the sport's ultimate prize.

Steven Stamkos made his triumphant return to Tampa Bay's lineup on Wednesday -- a night the 30-year-old called "a dream come true."

Stamkos scored on the first shot he took in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, as the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 5-2 to take a 2-1 series lead. He became the first player since 1940 to score a goal while making his first postseason appearance during the Stanley Cup Final.

With a pair of first period assists in Game 2, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov matched -- then surpassed -- Tampa Bay's record for most points in a single postseason.

With 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) Kucherov bettered Brad Richards' franchise record, which was set during the team's 2004 Stanley Cup run. Both of Kucherov's assists on Monday were gorgeous passes, and helped ignite Tampa Bay's slumping power play.

But after leading the Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Stars on Monday, to even the Stanley Cup Final 1-1, Kucherov is still looking for more.

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars did a lot of things to make coach Rick Bowness happy. They limited the Tampa Bay Lightning's chances. Their defensemen were active all over the ice. Most importantly, they posted a 4-1 win and took a 1-0 series lead.

Anthony Cirelli scored in overtime and Tampa Bay beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in Game 6 of the East final Thursday night and go back to the Cup Final for the first time since 2015, where it'll face the Dallas Stars.

Injured captain Steven Stamkos, who wouldn't even stand near the trophy then out of superstition, walked on to the ice to accept it along with the Lightning's entire traveling party.

Dallas Stars forward Denis Gurianov's goal at 3 minutes, 36 seconds of overtime gave his team a 3-2, come-from-behind victory and eliminated the Golden Knights from the postseason. Dallas advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2000.