(Denver, Colo.) Jon Cooper is a fabulous speaker and once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach has found the right words to express what anyone who spent Friday night in front of their TV is feeling.
Posted at 1:06 a.m.
“Was this series intended to go to six or seven games? put it on [damn right]. Both of these teams are way too good. »
Because, yes, we will be entitled to at least one other duel between these two great teams. Ondrej Palat broke the tie with six minutes left in the third period and the Lightning avoided elimination with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday in a deafening Ball Arena.
Clearly, Palat has a knack for getting up when the stakes demand it. With his one-timer shot right in the middle of the slot, he scored the 12e winning goal of his career in the playoffs.
Among active players, only Joe Pavelski (14) and Evgeni Malkin (13) total more than the one whose career in North America began in the country of Roy Jucep.
“We always joke with him, we call him Sneaky P [le rusé], and he always finds a way to shine,” said Palat center Steven Stamkos. It was such an important goal. It allows us to extend our season. »
The Czech striker, ignored in his first two years in the repechage, before being claimed at 208e rank in 2011, continues to make the 29 other teams that made up the NHL regret.
From the great Sergachev
Speaking of regrets… It’s hard not to think of the regrets that Marc Bergevin may have had when he traded a young Mikhail Sergachev five years ago, almost to the day. The former GM of the Canadian loved robust and strong defenders, and that’s what Sergachev offers, in addition to skating like the wind.
The Russian won by tackling Nathan MacKinnon – no less – right in the middle of the slot, moments after the Lightning opened the scoring. Nazem Kadri also had a loveless encounter with the great Russian. We could add the two-on-one attack he neutralized, and a host of other plays.
“You have to be tough against their best players,” Cooper said. All evening, he defended our territory well, he canceled several plays in the bottom zone. Everyone likes to go on the attack, too. But what do you do when you don’t have the puck? That’s where he really excelled tonight. »
Special units, finally
Arbitration continues to make people talk. Two days after infuriating the Lightning and their fans on the winning goal in overtime, the officials this time provoked the anger of the Avalanche fans. Anger that manifested itself in a lot of boos, and by a bottle thrown on the ice in the middle of the match, after a puck cleared by Nick Paul ended up in the stands.
Karma obviously didn’t take a holiday on this holiday with us. The Avalanche received a penalty for having too many players on the ice late in the game, limiting the pressure on the Lightning for the final three minutes. “It shouldn’t be a story,” Cooper replied.
“I won’t start commenting on the officiating,” said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. They can keep doing it, but we’re going to focus on our game.”
That said, in the first four games, it didn’t matter what the referees penalized or let through: the Lightning’s special teams were atrocious.
This time, they held off Colorado’s two power plays, in addition to scoring a 4-on-3 goal, the result of a superb trade between Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.
With good special teams and tight defensive play, the Lightning gives themselves the chance to return to their fans. This team is aiming for a third straight Stanley Cup, and wins a game where they risk elimination for the fourth time since the beginning of this incredible streak.
The oldest members of the core, the Stamkos, Palat, Kucherov, Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy, are in their fourth final together, after that of 2015. That’s without forgetting veterans like Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon, who refuse to make something other than playing hockey in June.
“It shows in this locker room. The guys do everything to win, even if they are damaged. We want to win,” Perry hammered.
Coming from a guy who finished his last two finals watching the other team celebrate, there’s no doubting his sincerity.