(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Five years after socially distancing from the Prince of Wales Trophy and losing in the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning got their hands on and arms around it to embrace their Eastern Conference championship.

Anthony Cirelli scored in overtime and Tampa Bay beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in Game 6 of the East final Thursday night and go back to the Cup Final for the first time since 2015, where it'll face the Dallas Stars. Injured captain Steven Stamkos, who wouldn't even stand near the trophy then out of superstition, walked on to the ice to accept it along with the Lightning's entire traveling party.

"It didn't work last time, so we tried obviously touching the trophy this year," alternate captain Victor Hedman said. "That was a no-brainer for us. We're not superstitious but obviously didn't touch it last time, so this year we did. That's the end of it. We won one trophy and now we're going for the next one."

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