TAMPA | Three long runs, two abnormally short off seasons. They were many to wonder if the Lightning players had not come to the end of the line.
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On the eve of the third game of this Stanley Cup final against the Avalanche, Jon Cooper had maintained that the conquests of 2020 and 2021 had in no way mortgaged his troops.
Last night, they proved him right. Again led by the unit of Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay overthrew Colorado 6-2 on the ice of Amalie Arena.
A victory that allowed the two-time champions to narrow their opponents’ lead to two wins against one.
Acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline, Nick Paul showed he wanted to win his first Stanley Cup. Injured in a leg during a strange fall following a push from Josh Manson, the Ontarian spent his evening going back and forth between the locker room and the ice rink.
This did not prevent him from scoring the winning goal, practically on one leg, at the start of the second period.
At the other end of the spectrum, Pat Maroon, who is trying to get his hands on a fourth consecutive title, has proven that he is just as hungry as ever. The one his teammates call “Big Rig” had a two-point night.
Kuemper hunted
He scored his fifth goal, the one that chased Darcy Kuemper out of the game. He was shown the way to the showers after giving in five times on 21 shots.
With the exception of goals from Maroon and Anthony Cirelli, who beat him by dropping the puck, the Avalanche goaltender is not the most to blame for this setback.
Palat, Paul and Stamkos hit the target, when they were alone between the face-off circles.
Kuemper’s opposite, Andrei Vasilevskiy, regained his composure after giving up seven goals on Saturday. With the game still on the line, he robbed JT Compher once in each of the first two periods.
Paid dispute
The game would likely have turned out differently if Cooper hadn’t won his challenge following Valeri Nichushkin’s goal. The Lightning head coach’s assistants had seen well in claiming that Bowen Byram had committed an offside a few seconds earlier.
This goal, scored at 4 min 56 s, could have broken the back of Tampa Bay. Especially since Gabriel Landeskog scored his first of the evening less than four minutes later, which would have made it 2-0.
Moreover, the two nets of the Avalanche, carried to the sheet of Landeskog, were successful in numerical superiority. Denver’s massive offense has now hit the mark in 12 of its 17 playoff games.
She dominates the circuit with an efficiency percentage of 33.9%. Since 1977-78, only one team has had more power-play success: the 1981 New York Islanders (37.8% in 18 games).
First period
1-Col: Gabriel Landeskog (10) (Rantanen, Makar) AN-8:19
2-TB: Anthony Cirelli (2) (Maroon) 13:03
3-TB: Ondrej Palat (10) (Stamkos) 14:54
Penalties: Compher (Col) 5:50, Palat (TB) 7:09, Newhook (Col) 10:54
Second period
4-TB: Nick Paul (5) (Colton) 1:26
5-Col: Gabriel Landeskog (11) (Makar, Rantanen) AN-4:43
6-TB: Steven Stamkos (10) (Kucherov, Bogosian) 7:52
7-TB: Pat Maroon (4) (Kucherov, Hedman) 11:15
8-TB: Corey Perry (6) (Palat, Hedman) AN-14:58
Penalties: Colton (TB) 4:03, Maroon (TB) 8:58, Manson (Col) 8:58, Sturm (Col) 14:22, Killorn (TB) 15:45, Cogliano (Col) 19:43, Sergachev (TB) 19:43
Third period
No goal
Penalties: Cogliano (Col) 12:03, Toews (Col) 13:38, Bench (TB) (served by Perry) 14:40, Cogliano (Col) 17:48, Colton (TB) (shift) 17:48, OConnor (Col) (shift) 17:48, Cogliano (Col) 17:48, Maroon (TB) 17:48, Cogliano (Col) 17:48
Shoot to the net
Colorado 14 – 13 – 12 – 39 Tampa Bay 12 – 14 – 6 – 32
Guardians:
Col: Darcy Kuemper (P, 8-3) Pavel Francouz ((11:15 2nd period), 6-0), TB: Andrei Vasilevskiy (G, 13-7)
Numerical advantages:
Collar: 2 in 4, VG: 1 in 6
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Ryan Daisy, Brad Kovachik
ASSISTANCE:
not available
► This loss was only the Avalanche’s third since the start of the playoffs, a first on an opposing rink. As for the Lightning, he enjoyed an eighth straight win on his ice. His only loss at Amalie Arena was against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
► Likely injured in the lower body, Nikita Kucherov left the meeting with some five minutes to go.