TAMPA, Fla. – What is the difference between 48 hours and relocation.
Stanley suffered a 2-0 defeat in the 2022 Cup final – and a 7-0 defeat in the Colorado Avalanche, which seemed more one-sided than that score – Tampa Bay Lightning returned home and threw a giant counterpunch. Dia closed 6-2 in front of huge crowd at Skating Amali Arena.
The duration of the series seems to have changed and brought legal goalkeeper controversy to the AVS, replacing Darcy Kumper in the middle of the second period of this explosive defeat.
What did you learn in this competition? And has the pace of the entire Stanley Cup Final changed in favor of Lightning?
This is the series again
After the Lightning lost 7-0 in Game 2, captain Steven Stamkos said, “Let’s find out what to do when we get home.”
What is the reaction of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in Game 3? He defended the standard, limiting the opponent to two or fewer goals at home for the sixth game in a row. He received star performances from his top players Stamcos, Victor Hedman, Ondrej Palt and Nikita Kucherov, while goalkeeper Andrei Vasilyevsky made 37 saves.
Only five-time winners in NHL history, the Stanley Cup champions have taken a 3-0 lead in the best-seven playoff series. No one came back to win and four of the five series ended in a sweep.
No need to worry about electricity anymore. There is a series again. , Greg Vishinsky
Bring thunder
It’s been almost a month since Colorado tasted its last defeat on Monday. They reached the cup final with a 12-2 playoff record. In Game 3, Tampa Bay gave his visitors a stack of humble pies.
The avalanche was believed to be the first goal of the game by Valerie Nichushkin. John Cooper successfully challenged for offside. Inflation
Gabriel Landescog then actually scored on the power play. 1-0, Colorado. But not for long. Because after a completely impressive performance in Game 2, Avalanche didn’t work out (or couldn’t) at the same level. They did not win races or battles. He was not suffocating in the neutral zone. Instead of pushing Tampa Bay around, the power went out repeatedly.
Colorado lost without Andre Burakowski in the lineup after a hand shot was blocked in Game 2. Nazem Qadri (broken thumb) is also out. But this is not an excuse. Avalanches are appreciated throughout the season – and for their depth. He failed in Game 3, but Lightning’s depth allowed him to roll right.
And, sadly, Vasilyevsky was smart. Darcy Kumper, meanwhile, was pulled after being allowed five goals on 22 shots, replaced by Pavel Francois. Upcoming goalkeeper controversy? No avalanche is required.
Tampa Bay was a good team in every aspect of Game 3. Colorado scored two goals in a power play over Landescog and failed everywhere. This was Colorado’s biggest difference in the playoffs, losing 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues on May 19.
Suffice it to say that this is an unknown territory for Colorado in the playoffs. Where do they go from here? , Kristen Shilton
0:49
Steven Stamkos is credited with playing on home ice as part of his ability to return to the Lightning series.
There is no false beginning
What exactly did Lightning need to start Game 3 and what did they lose in their last two losses?
In the first two games of the series, Lightning scored several goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. A bad start on the road affected everything else in the game. They could not establish what they wanted to do to reduce the avalanche attack. With little time left to defend Colorado or establish his offense, he tried to get out of those holes.
They were also self-dug pits. The Lightning gave the Avalanche a 5-on-3 power play during the first period of Game 1. He took a 1:01 penalty in Game 2. Colorado converted on both occasions.
As they always do, winger Pat Marun presented a sage analysis of the situation in Tampa Bay and how they can apply the lessons learned from Games 1 and 2 to Game 3.
“You guys feel good, you feel puck, it’s a different ballgame. So stay out of the box and play our game. Play Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey. Don’t worry about the points. Don’t worry about the outcome,” he said. “Listen, if they score the first goal, that’s fine. Keep playing the way you’re playing, find a way to commit a crime.”
Avalanche scored the first goal. Well, that’s what he did in the end, because Nichushkin’s change-up shot offside to Vasilyevsky was erased from the board by a video review. Landescog’s power-play tally at 8:19 made it 1-0; But as Marun said, the lightning flashed.
Center Anthony Cirelli pulled hard into the net and Puck slipped off Darcy Kumper to tie the game at 13:03. Lightning’s skill was later captured, as Platt blocked the pass, Kucherov pulled the defenders into the attacking area, and Stamkos used that room to find Platt for his 10th goal in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay finished the first period with a 2-1 lead. They are now 7-1 ahead in the playoffs, ahead of the first. It wasn’t a perfect opening frame, but it was good enough to build a foundation on which he won his Game 3. , Vaishinsky
Goat to goat?
Kumper remains the puzzle of the playoffs. And he removed it from Game 3.
The Avs opener’s goalkeeper was quickly dialed, making a big stop early in the first period. His condition was rarely textbook, but the puck stayed out. Colorado struggled from neutral territory, which was their common strength, so Kumper’s contribution to the 1-0 lead in the avalanche was more significant.
He was on hold again at Tampa Bay’s first power-play opportunity. Before the wheels fall off.
Anthony Cirelli defeated Kumper on the second man advantage of Tampa Bay with a shot that looked like a failed swing attempt. Ondrej Palt neatly avoids him with another catchy strike. In the middle of the second, Lightning continued until Kumper scored five goals on 22 shots (for .773 saving percentage).
Quamper wasn’t doing what he was supposed to do. Hard stuff left. Why? Who knows Somehow, it was Hello, Pavel Francois.
That was the right call from coach Jared Bednar. As Vasilevsky got better and better at the other end, Kumper was shaking. He fell down too fast, did not keep a good track, and was struck by lightning.
Game 3 was the first time Colorado had played St. Louis in the second round, and Kumper had been asked to move on. He failed – unfortunately – in that assignment.
Francois made nine saves on 10 shots.
What will Bednar do now? Continue with François, who entered Game 3 with a 6-0 record, saving .906 percent and 2.86 goals — compared to the post-season average? Or give Cooper the benefit of the doubt as John Cooper did after a tough game 1 for Wasilveski? Which goalkeeper really gives Colorado the best chance if Vasilyevsky is back in brute mode?
This is a big decision. Colorado has hopes of winning the cup. , Shilton
Good news, bad news for the Tampa Bay rescue
Lightning did not chase Colorado during Game 3. He did not miss many strange chances of an avalanche. They stayed in their structure, placing Colorado in front of them and providing puck support in the defensive zone. The team that seemed to be out of the series was suddenly able to adapt to the energy of the avalanche. Good protection and good pre-inspection will do it.
An amazing result: Avalanches in Game 3 were held without a goal of equal strength, having scored seven of them in the previous two games. It was only the second time in the subsequent 17 games of the season that Avalanche failed to score even more strongly. One big factor: the last power line in the house was replaced. That means they could keep Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov off the Nathan McKinnon line and send Anthony Sirelli’s checking line against the top trio of avalanches, including Alex Kilorn and Brandon Hegel.
Tampa Bay’s shutdown line made a big difference when they were given the Mike Zibnezad line in Game 3 in the Eastern Conference final against the New York Rangers. He had no shot-try advantage against the McKinnon line – who could? – but he kept them away from the board more firmly.
Lightning talked about leaving Andrei Vasilyevsky “to dry” in Game 2. He helped them a lot in Game 3 and he responded by saving 37 of 39 shots.
Now the bad news: Avalanches continue to dominate the power play. Lightning entered Game 3 and hit only 70.8% of lightning games on the home ice. Colorado scored twice in the power play and now has five goals in the series, including Man Advantage. , Vaishinsky
Did you sneeze
Important pieces are missing from the lineup in Avalanche Game 3. None of those available helped.
Nathan McKinnon did not score a single goal in the cup final, assisting only one pair in three games. Much attention has, rightly, gone to all the avalanche contributors. Bednar has repeatedly said that he does not think McKinnon should lead the team. This is not exactly what Colorado wanted in Game 3. All it took was a little star power.
If Nichuskin had scored the first goal, McKinnon would have been assisted; He was an excellent helper. The avalanche required a little more than McKinnon, then cooking in Tampa Bay. Stamkos and Cirelli were scoring along with Corey Perry and Pat Marun as Lightning was getting the product from the up and down lineup.
Black Capricorn is back from a tough (for them) game 1, was great in Game 2 and was solid again on Monday. He cleverly broke the 2-on-1 crowd in the third period, which didn’t help Colorado’s chances much, but it was an example of how quickly he could bend the ice and play well. On Capricorn’s two-point night, they finished third in the NHL playoffs with seven goals and 26 points from 17 games.
Bottom line: It’s time for McKinnon to have a big night out. Like, Game 5 big in the second round against the St. Louis level. It’s not about putting pressure on yourself to be “The Guy” every night. But Colorado needs a little encouragement from someone right now, and there may be (and should be) McKinnon helping to provide that. , Shilton
Want to give something away – or does it?
Funny Fact: Colorado didn’t lose a playoff game on the road until Monday.
Here’s another one: Tampa Bay has not lost a playoff game at home. He still isn’t.
Game 3 was the first match in the history of the Stanley Cup Final in which both teams won more than seven games and actively ran home and on the road.
This is the highbrow level of “evenly matched”. This trend will continue in 4 to 7 games and is there a precedent for the winner of this series? , Shilton