BCHL alum Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars will faceoff against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, starting with Game 1 tonight.
The former Victoria Grizzlies standout has 18 points far in the 2020 postseason, tying him for eighth in scoring in the league. His eight goals are also top-10 in the NHL.
He’s currently among the list of frontrunners for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Benn’s play has improved each series. He was at his best in the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights when he had three goals and two assists in the Stars five-game series victory with points in four of five contests. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the series and has lit the lamp in three straight games coming into the final.
This will be Benn’s first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final and the first since 2000 for the Dallas Stars. The team has one championship in franchise history, coming back in 1999.
Benn, who hails from Victoria, played one full season with his hometown Grizzlies in 2006-07 as a 17-year-old, finishing second in team scoring with 59 points. That Grizzlies team featured three players who would go on to enjoy long careers in the NHL, including Benn, his brother Jordie who currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks and Tyler Bozak who led that team with 111 points and won a Stanley Cup last year with the St. Louis Blues.
Game 1 goes tonight from the Edmonton, Alta. bubble at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Full schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, Sep. 19 – 4 p.m. PT
Game 2: Monday, Sep. 21 – 5 p.m. PT
Game 3: Wednesday, Sep. 23 – 5 p.m. PT
Game 4: Friday, Sep. 25 – 5 p.m. PT
Game 5: Saturday, Sep. 26 – 5 p.m. PT*
Game 6: Monday, Sep. 28 – 5 p.m. PT*
Game 7: Wednesday, Sep. 30 – 5 p.m. PT*
*If necessary
All games played at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
