Stanley Cup final will begin Monday in Tampa

TAMPA — With the the Lightning beating the Islanders in Game 7 of their semifinal series, the Stanley Cup final will open Monday at 8 p.m. at Amalie Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.

The league announced the entire Cup final schedule on Friday. Tampa Bay has home-ice advantage over the Canadiens by virtue of having more points during the regular season.

Games will be played on alternating days, except for an extra off day (July 4) between Games 3 and 4 in Montreal.

Game 2 will be played Wednesday in Tampa. Games 3 and 4 would be Friday and Monday, July 5. If necessary, Game 5 would be in Tampa on Wednesday, July 7. Game 6 is slated for Friday, July 9 in Montreal, and a Game 7 would be Sunday, July 11 in Tampa. All games have an 8 p.m. start time except for Game 7, which would begin at 7 p.m.

The first two games will be broadcast on NBCSN and the rest on NBC.

Also, the league announced it will broadcast a 30-minute NHL awards show on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s top goaltender. Victor Hedman is a finalist for the Norris Trophy, which is given to the top defenseman.

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