The Bruins signed Sweeney to a multiyear extension, six weeks after they lost in the first round of the playoffs and three weeks after he fired Cassidy.
Playing hockey on fast forward, the Colorado Avalanche blazed their way to the Stanley Cup championship with a mix of speed and high-end skill that needed only a defined focus to get over the top.
Trying to win their first championship as a group and the organization’s first since 2001, the Avalanche know the immense challenge they have in front of them.
On Friday night in Game 5, Colorado has a chance to not only dethrone two-time defending champion Tampa Bay, but possibly jumpstart its own dynasty behind a core of young, dynamic players like Makar
The Stars want to score more goals without sacrificing the defensive structure that was the priority under Rick Bowness, who led Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final in the bubble as the interim coach before getting a two-year contract.
Tampa Bay is trying to become the first team since the New York Islanders won four championships in a row from 1980-83 to lift the Cup three straight seasons.
