The Stanley Cup was present at the Ball Arena in Denver, but it will now have to follow the players of the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning to Florida.
Ondrej Palat gave the Lightning another day and defeated the Avalanche 3-2 on Friday night in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
You would have thought that the two teams were going to go to a second consecutive overtime, but Palat was forgotten in the slot and he deceived the vigilance of goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper with 6:22 remaining in the final period.
Palat took advantage of a lack of communication between Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin to accept a pass from Victor Hedman and score his 11th goal of the playoffs, including his third game winner.
“That’s what good teams do, they find ways to win,” Lightning forward Corey Perry said. It’s pleasant. That’s hockey, different players take their game up a notch at different times. »
The Lightning, two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, reduced the Avalanche’s lead to 3-2 in this final and will have the opportunity to meet their fans for one last time this season on Sunday night.
“Look, this is a huge challenge for us,” Lightning forward Pat Maroon said. It is also an exciting challenge to take up. »
Jan Rutta and Nikita Kucherov also moved the ropes for the Lightning, who lost in a more or less controversial way, Wednesday night. Both Mikhail Sergachev and Perry have had two successes of their own.
Andrei Vasilevskiy once again did his best to protect his side’s advances. The 2021 Conn-Smythe Trophy winner showed his worth by blocking 35 of 37 pucks aimed at him.
The error of Makar and Nichushkin came to spoil a good performance on their part. Both players finished the game with one goal and one assist each. The Avalanche, however, must wait at least two more days before lifting their first Stanley Cup since 2001.
“There’s a belief in this locker room that we can win every game we play,” Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews said. We feel like we had a good game tonight. But it wasn’t enough. »
Kuemper allowed three goals on 29 shots, but it was mostly Rutta who hurt as the disc went between his body and his left arm.
“It’s not supposed to be easy and it won’t be,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. We knew that before the start of the final and before tonight’s game. You have to have a short memory in series and that’s what we will do. »
On a rollercoaster
Kuemper and Vasilevskiy exchanged some great saves in the first period, especially when their respective teams had to play shorthanded. However, it was the Lightning who managed to open the scoring.
After Sergachev thwarted an Avalanche attack, he handed the disc to Perry, who spotted Rutta alone on the flank in the neutral zone. Rutta took advantage of plenty of space in front of him and once in enemy territory, he unleashed a slapshot that Kuemper sure would have liked to see again.
Despite everything, the home team increased the pressure late in the first period, but they were not able to create equality. The Lightning defense was overwhelmed, but they were able to block shots when there was traffic in front of the net. Then, on a partial breakaway, Nathan MacKinnon slipped the puck between Vasilevskiy’s pads, but just off target. Landeskog then stumbled on the left shoulder of the Russian goalkeeper.
The Lightning were very active after intermission, but the Colorado squad tied the game at 5:07. MacKinnon won a face-off in offensive territory and Makar fired a floating shot that Vasilevskiy didn’t seem to have spotted. Nichushkin finished his action at the net and he was able to drive a free drive behind the red line.
The visitors regained their one-goal lead, however, on a power play just over three minutes later. After defenseman Josh Manson had quite a presence by blocking three shots, Kucherov fired a one-timer from the point that crept past Kuemper, who had his sight obscured by Perry.
The Avalanche also had a power play late in the second period, but despite a number of scoring opportunities, the score remained unchanged. Makar notably made a spectacular climb between three Lightning players, but his shot went over the net. Mikko Rantanen could have tied the game too, but his shot missed the target.
Carried away by the noisy crowd, the Avalanche players did not lack intensity in the first minutes of the third period and their efforts paid off. Hopefully, Makar’s point shot was blocked by Vasilevskiy, but it touched the skate of Erik Cernak, who was covering Nichushkin, and the puck found its way between the goaltender’s pads.