Lightning blitz Stars, seize 2-1 Cup Final lead

EDMONTON, Alberta — Steven Stamkos scored on his first shot since February and the Tampa Bay Lightning blew out the Dallas Stars with a 5-2 rout in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 is Friday.

Stamkos, the Lightning captain, was making his 2020 playoff debut 211 days after he last played in an NHL game. He made the most of his limited time with a vintage goal, going around Esa Lindell and sniping a shot past Anton Khudobin.

Tampa Bay got goals from all three of its first-line forwards, while the Stars’ best players were quiet once again or made big mistakes to contribute to the loss.