Bolts punch Cup ticket
Anthony Cirelli scored in overtime to send the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final.
Cirelli returned in the third after injuring his right knee in the second. Trade deadline pickup Barclay Goodrow set him up for the goal 13:18 into overtime.
Tampa Bay ended each of its three series victories in overtime and goes on to face the Dallas Stars for the title. Only New York lasted more than five games, pushing the Lightning to their limits before their talented core got them into the final.
They’re four wins from the Cup despite being without captain Steven Stamkos all postseason and missing top center Brayden Point for two games against the Islanders. They can thank defenseman Victor Hedman for scoring his ninth goal of the playoffs, Nikita Kucherov for playing 28:22 and Andrei Vasilveskiy making 26 saves while his teammates peppered Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 48 shots.
Hedman, Kucherov, Vasilevskiy and Co. are back in the final for the first time since 2015. Tampa Bay is trying to win its first championship since 2004.
It wasn’t easy getting to this point against an opponent willing to rope-a-dope, block shots and wait to pounce on chances. The Islanders got their break in Game 5 to prolong the series when Tampa Bay defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk fanned on a shot to pave the way for Jordan Eberle’s double-overtime goal, but they were on the wrong side of it Thursday.
The Islanders scored first for the fifth consecutive game when Devon Toews beat Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far post on a wraparound goal 4:15 in. In a playoffs full of defensemen scoring, it’s Toews’ second goal, though replays showed seven Islanders players on the ice with what should have been a too many men penalty before he scored.
Fittingly, Tampa Bay’s top defenseman tied it less than two minutes later. Victor Hedman skated to the net somehow unmarked and buried a juicy rebound — one of the few Varlamov gave up all game. Hedman’s ninth goal of the postseason, which counts three roundrobin games, tied him with Bobby Orr and Brad Park for the most in a single playoffs by a defenseman.
“He’s the best I’ve ever seen him play,” forward Alex Killorn said about Hedman. “He’s showing up in big moments here.”
With an assist on Hedman’s goal, Nikita Kucherov moved into the playoff scoring lead with 26 points.
Tampa Bay got Point back after he missed Games 3 and 5 with injury. Point played through obvious pain in Game 6, occasionally using a massage device on the bench between shifts.