We want to say was a show of conference pride, but probably was one of those "at least we can say we lost to the best" type of deals. complete with exclamation point. But we still aren't getting the kind of on-ice banter and player vignettes that we've gotten from "Quest" in previous seasons. Best kiss winner for QUEST FOR THE STANLEY CUP Ep. Golden Knights forward Reaves talked about his concerns that he might have to go it alone for a hockey-based protest, until he received a text from former teammate Kevin Shattenkirk seeking advice on behalf of Eastern Conference players. You can feel the desperation when Zach Whitecloud accidentally sent the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty, as the Vegas bench argued briefly that both sticks made contract before Whitecloud took the skate of shame to the penalty box. Kozari: "There's nothing going on that I saw. pic.twitter.com/2oOcosMKxc. ", Reaves: "OK." [Pretends to use his glove as a notepad] Let me write that one down real quick.". Outside of a short segment of the Stars knocking around some golf balls, this was the most player-light episode of the run.

Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault analyzing a play using the bench TV monitors, deciding to challenge an Islanders goal for an offside, losing the challenge and then having the referee explain, in detail, why the challenge was denied. We've got Jon Cooper working out, Jon Cooper cracking jokes, and more than a few scenes of Jon Cooper profanely motivating the Lightning players to not allow their opponents to "take away" the chance to win the Cup from them. Monotonous bubble life popped by unified fight against racism.

pic.twitter.com/KvdD8Cvlon. That was just a good hard battle [motions to Reaves] like you guys do all the time. When Peter DeBoer was complaining about a Dallas player taking liberties with a Vegas defender in the crease in Game 5, referee Steve Kozari said it was nothing out of the ordinary, which piqued the interest of Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves. The episode took a turn about 25 minutes in when news of the NBA, MLB, WNBA and MLS opting out of games to protest racial injustice permeated the NHL bubble. What we learned in Episode 1 of 'Quest for the Stanley Cup', 'You're not alone': Tyler Motte hopes to inspire others to discuss their mental health, Winners and losers of the 2020 NHL playoff bubbles, NHL bubble confidential: Go inside the Toronto and Edmonton playoff hubs, Lightning return home, hoist Stanley Cup to fans, Lamoriello optimistic Isles will stay mostly intact, Source: Buyout ends Lundqvist's Rangers tenure, Lightning fan's 'Shoot!' From QUEST FOR THE CUP:Travis Konecny: "There's a BOOK shelf?"

The obvious highlight: Being genuinely baffled about the existence, and utility, of a hotel bookcase. The first episode for the 2020 playoffs is titled "Double Bubble.". Good "inside hockey" stuff, and what you expect from the series. That's followed by Denis Gurianov's series-winning goal and the utter elation from the Stars players as they advance to an unexpected Stanley Cup Final. The coaches? ), More trash-talking, please. I love that they did this with the Cup, for the record. locker room bellow that's also in this episode. mix-up turns into big score, Stars left numb after postseason run falls short, Lightning's Hedman wins postseason MVP award, Lightning blank Stars, capture 2nd Stanley Cup, Ranking the NHL's top 60 (plus) 2020 free agents into tiers, Alex Pietrangelo's savvy 'local hero' pressure play on the Blues, How the Lightning learned to be Stanley Cup champions, Keys to the offseason: Free-agency, draft plans for all 31 NHL teams, How the Tampa Bay Lightning built a perennial contender, From upset to title: Lightning join club of teams to get championship redemption, Top NHL draft defense prospects break down their own scouting reports, NHL best-case mock draft: How each team aces the first two rounds, Ahead of the presidential election, America's sports stadiums and arenas become polling centers, available exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. Bowness just turns and leaves and is like "the players got it" so he can go celebrate. Dallas coach Rick Bowness high-tailing it to the back to celebrate as the Stars were on the ice waiting for the Clarence Campbell Bowl. Is Gary Bettman going to rappel down with the Stanley Cup to present it to the winning team?

Nice work, intern. Honorable mention: Anton Khudobin for the famous "We're not going hooooooooooome!"
", Watching QUEST FOR THE STANLEY CUP on ESPN+ and there's this great little moment after the @DallasStars win Game 5 against Vegas. Powerful moments, and the episode does a good job of chronicling them even if it plays a little loose on the details. Witness his unbridled pride in not sneezing during this test. NHL-branded hand sanitizer, fashioned into the shape of the NHL logo. Cooper has been one of the best things about this season of the show, whether it's kayaking on a lake with no fish (as seen on a previous episode) or running the gambit in Episode 4. Cooper's sage advice to keep working out during the restart, as he sweats away on an exercise bike: "Bubble life ... if you don't do this, when you leave here, you're going to look like the bubble.