Lightning strikes back
After struggling in first two games, Tampa comes alive
TAMPA — Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each notched a goal and an assist, and the Lighting scored four times in the second period to beat the Avalanche, 6-2, Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals.
Anthony Cirelli, Nicholas Paul and Corey Perry also scored to help the two-time defending champion Lightning bounce back after playing poorly while losing the first two games on the road. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman picked up two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots.
Stamkos, Paul, Maroon and Perry scored in the second period, when the Lightning chased Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper while pulling away to trim their series deficit to 2-1.
Gabriel Landeskog scored two goals and Mikko Rantanen notched two assists for the Avalanche. Kuemper gave up five goals on 22 shots before he was replaced by
Pavel Francouz, who finished with nine saves.
Game 4 is Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, where the Lightning has won a franchise-record eight straight playoff games and Colorado lost on the road for the first time this postseason.
Two nights after being limited to just 16 shots in a 7-0 loss in Denver, the Lightning rebounded by finally finding way to neutralize Colorado’s speed and solve Kuemper to avoid falling to the brink of elimination.
The Avalanche lifted its goaltender when Maroon scored a soft goal that put the Lightning up, 5-2, with 8:45 remaining in the second. Perry reached behind
Francouz to tap in a rebound that came off the right post to make 6-2 with 5:02 left in the period.
The back-to-back champions overcame a 2-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to eliminate the Rangers in six games. They’re looking to do it again against Colorado to complete their quest for the NHL’s first three-peat in nearly 40 years.
Colorado not only failed to take a stranglehold in the series, but also wound up with goaltending questions.
Kuemper, after rarely being tested in a 7-0 victory in Game 2 Saturday night that put the Avalanche up 2-0 in the series, was pulled midway through the second after giving up five goals on 22 shots.
Kuemper left Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Edmonton with an upper-body injury and was replaced by Francouz, who was in net for a four-game sweep over the Oilers.
There were discussions about who would start the Tampa Bay series, but a healthy Kuemper got the call and things were going well for Colorado until the Lightning returned home for Game 3 and turned the tables on the Avalanche.
After being the team thriving on pressuring the Lightning into mistakes and holding them to 16 shots in Game 2, Avalanche players were on their heels with a number of bad defensive turnovers that saw Kuemper unable to make the big save on ensuing Tampa Bay shots.
The end for Kuemper came when Tampa Bay tough guy Maroon made it 5-2 with an in-close backhander 11:15 into the second. The goal came after Colorado defenseman Josh Manson made an errant pass from behind the net.
Despite Kuemper posting an 8-3 mark in the playoffs this year, there was immediate speculations about which goalie would start Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Almost forgotten is the fact Colorado leads the series 2-1.