Lightning Will Go for a Third Straight Stanley Cup Against the Avalanche

No matter the sport, winning back-to-back championships titles is rare because it’s so hard. Injuries, egos, contract demands and the N.H.L. salary cap often derail second title runs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, though, are close to accomplishing something even more difficult: Winning three Stanley Cups in a row. The two-time champions beat the Rangers, 2-1, to win the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday and will return to the Stanley Cup finals, where they will face the Colorado Avalanche starting Wednesday in Denver.

No team has been to three straight Stanley Cup finals since the Edmonton Oilers teams led by Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in the mid-1980s, and the Islanders were the last team to win three straight Cups when they won four consecutive titles 40 years ago from 1980 to 1984.

The Lightning may not get the national attention of some of the clubs in the league’s bigger markets, or its Canadian teams. They play in Tampa, a Florida tourist destination where a star named Tom Brady, quarterback for the Buccaneers, grabs most of the sporting headlines.

But quietly and empathically the Lightning have built a dynasty under Coach Jon Cooper and their captain, Steven Stamkos, who has been the core of the team’s success. Now 32, the center from suburban Toronto has played his entire 14-year career in Tampa and helped build an also-ran into a perennial contender.

With 522 career goals, including playoffs, he trails only two guys named Ovechkin and Crosby among active players. He has also been the glue that has helped keep his high-flying teammates together, including his linemates, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay’s roster includes players with a combined 204 playoff games, the most of any team.

Stamkos added to his stellar career when he scored the Lightning’s two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period Saturday, to finish off the Rangers.

“It’s great to score a couple of goals in a huge game like this, but if I didn’t…