Dallas drew first blood in the historic series versus the Tampa Bay Lightning
This time of year, the latter half of September, is when the NHL season is supposed to start gearing up.
On this date in 2020, though, the season was beginning to wind down.
The first and only Stanley Cup final to take place in the month of September got underway on September 19, 2020, at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The Dallas Stars drew first blood in the best-of-seven series by downing the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1.
The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted everything around the globe in the spring of that year, and the hockey world was not spared; the NHL suspended its regular season on March 12. It wasn’t known then if the annual Stanley Cup playoffs could be staged. Not until late May did NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announce that a 24-team tournament would be arranged to bring the 2019-20 season to an end. The details between the league and the NHLPA were not confirmed until mid-July.
With cross-border travel between Canada and the United States strictly controlled, it was decided to stage the entire tournament in Canada, with the Eastern Conference teams gathering in one hub in Toronto and the Western Conference teams meeting in a second hub in Edmonton. An abbreviated exhibition schedule took place from July 28 to 30 and the playoffs began with the best-of-five qualifying round on August 1.
Tampa Bay, seeded second in the East, and Dallas, the No. 3 seed in the West, both had byes to the first best-of-seven playoff round. The Lightning defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Boston Bruins, and the New York Islanders to earn their spot in the final while the Stars disposed of the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Joel Hanley of the Stars and Yanni Gourde of the Bolts traded first-period goals in Game 1, with Hanley's tally not only the first playoff goal ever scored in September but also the first of his NHL career. Dallas broke the game open with two goals in the middle frame, by Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Kiviranta. Jason Dickinson scored into an empty net with 1:18 left in the third period to clinch the win for the Stars.