Lightning crush Avs 6-2 in Game 3, bringing Cup Final series to 2-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s bid for a three-peat is alive and well.

With Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy leading the way Monday night, the star-laden, two-time defending champions beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The victory two nights after suffering the most lopsisded loss in the team’s playoff history trimmed Tampa Bay’s series deficit to 2-1 and breathed hope in the team’s quest to become the first franchise in nearly 40 years to win three consecutive NHL titles.

“There’s a reason why we’re here and there’s a reason why we won tonight. There’s a reason why this has gone on for the last couple of years,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

The Lightning scored four times in the second period to bounce back from an embarrassing 7-0 loss in Game 2 of the best-of-seven matchup.

Game 4 is tonight at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning have won a franchise-record eight straight playoff games and Colorado lost on the road for the first time this postseason.