Lightning look to even Stanley Cup Final
Champs will try to keep high-scoring Colorado in check in Game 4
So much for the notion that the Tampa Bay Lightning might be running out of gas against the speedy Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final.
Turns out the team’s recipe for postseason success still works when the two-time defending champions incorporate all the ingredients.
Like goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy reverting to his customary stingy ways; Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman lighting up the scoresheet; and a slew of lesserknown role players contributing offensively and defensively, too.
The Lightning still trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 after bouncing back from the most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history, 7-0, to beat the Avalanche in Game 3. Coach Jon Cooper is confident his team is trending in the right direction.
“I probably use this word too often, but there’s a recipe in place for us to have success. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see what hasn’t worked for us in games where we’ve gotten blown out and what’s worked for us in the games we’ve won. A big part of it is managing the puck,” Cooper said.
“(The Avalanche) are a hell of a team. You give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. So you have to take away the inches all over the ice,” the coach added. “And if it breaks down you hope your goalie is there to make a save for you. If you manage the puck, it all takes off from there.”
Game 4 is Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, with Colorado looking to move within one victory of its first Stanley Cup title since 2001 and Tampa Bay continuing its bid for the NHL’S first three-peat in nearly 40 years.
Two nights after yielding seven goals in a blowout loss, Vasilevskiy rebounded with 37 saves in a 6-2 victory Monday night.
The Lightning ’s depth was an asset, too, with six players scoring goals and a total of 10 showing up on the scoresheet.
“I know it’s similar to the last series, being 2-1, but we still need to win the next one. It’ll be tough on us if we just sat here and said: ‘OK, we got one. We’re going to be OK tomorrow,’” Cooper said. “Each game gets tougher and tougher. But the guys, give them credit. They knew what they had to do and they did it. But now we have to do it again.”
Despite questions about who Colorado’s goaltender will be moving forward, the Avalanche feel they’re still in control of the series. A win Wednesday night would give them a commanding 3-1 lead heading back to Denver for Game 5 on Friday night.
Awards: Toronto’s Auston Matthews won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’S most valuable player, beating out Edmonton’s Connor Mcdavid and Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers to win the award for the first time. Shesterkin claimed the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Colorado’s Cale Maker took the Norris Trophy, presented to the league’s best defenseman, and Detroit’s Moritz Seider claimed the Calder Trophy as the top rookie. Matthews became the first player to score 60 goals since Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos did it 10 years ago, helping the Maple Leafs (54-21-7, 115 points) set franchise records for wins and points. Shesterkin became the third Rangers goalie in the past 40 years to win the Vezina, joining Henrik Lundqvist (201112) and John Vanbiesbrouck (1985-86). He went 36-13-4 with an Nhl-best 2.07 goal-against-average and .935 save percentage before leading a playoff run that ended against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference final. Seider led all first-year defensemen with 50 points and finished ahead of Toronto’s Michael Bunting and Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras in balloting for the award. Maker led all defensemen with 28 goals while helping the Avalanche finish with a Western Conference-best 119 points.
Oilers: Edmonton has given coach Jay Woodcroft a three-year contract extension for taking over the team in February and leading them to the NHL Western Conference final. Woodcroft was named the interim coach on Feb. 10 after Dave Tippett was fired following a 7-13-3 run that had the Oilers sitting fifth in the Pacific Division. The Oilers underwent a rapid turnaround under the 45-year-old Toronto native, winning their next five games by a combined score of 22-8.
Stars: Dallas announced that it has hired Peter Deboer as its new coach, a month after he was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights. Deboer, who previously led New Jersey and San Jose to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with both of those clubs, was let go by the Knights after they missed the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s five-season history.