DENVER, Colo. — The Tampa Bay Lightning wanted an enormous exhibiting in Game 2 as they sought to keep away from falling down 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche within the Stanley Cup Final.
The crowd in Denver was electrical earlier than the sport and that carried over to when the puck dropped to start out the sport just a little after 8:15 p.m.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper mentioned earlier than the sport he needed Tampa to play a a lot better first 10 minutes of the sport. The Lightning responded just a little over a minute into the sport…with a penalty giving the Avalanche an influence play.
Tampa’s penalty-killing unit struggled within the final spherical and gave up an early aim in Game 1. Staying constant, with about 10 seconds left within the energy play, the Avalanche’s Valeri Nichuskin redirected a shot proper previous Lightning goalie Andrei Vasileskiy to offer Colorado a 1-0 lead.
Colorado took just a little longer to get to their second aim, but it surely was apparent early in Game 2, the Avs have been just too quick for Tampa.
PHOTOS — STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 2: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE
The Avalanche offense went proper by means of the Lightning protection and a slapshot from Josh Manson gave Colorado a 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay was rattled and fewer than a minute later, Mikhail Sergachev fired the puck into the gang and the Lightning was hit with a delay of recreation penalty. The Avalanche then went on a two-minute energy play as the sport neared the midway level of the primary interval.
The Lightning was capable of kill off the penalty and could not get something occurring the offensive finish. Tampa Bay was had only one shot on aim within the first half of the interval.
The groups appeared to settle in for a bit till with 6:08 to go within the first interval, the Avs Andre Burakovsky simply put a shot by Vasy to offer the Avalanche a 3-0 lead.
Cooper referred to as the early efficiency of the Lightning, “a little disappointing” and mentioned the staff wanted to get on high of the Avalanche to negate their pace.
After a set of matching penalties and 4-4 motion, the Lightning managed to carry on and stop any additional harm because the horn sounded on the finish of the primary interval with Colorado sustaining a 3-0 lead.
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The Avalanche’s efficiency made them solely the third staff within the historical past of the Cup Final to attain no less than three first-period targets in every of the primary two video games, becoming a member of the 1981 New York Islanders and the 1936 Detroit Red Wings.
Tampa Bay got here out of the primary intermission making an attempt to get something going within the recreation and have been capable of decelerate the Avs’ strains to start out the second interval. Still, Tampa was struggling to get any sort of consistency on the offensive finish.
Then the Lightning turned it over proper behind the online and Colorado put the proverbial biscuit within the basket to offer the Avalanche a 4-0 lead off the stick of Nichuskin.
Tampa Bay went on the ability play after an Avs penalty, however Colorado was capable of kill the penalty giving up simply three pictures on aim with none actually testing the Avalanche’s goalie, Darcy Kuemper.
The stars for Tampa Bay like Stamkos, Kucherov, and others have been simply unable to get something occurring the offensive finish as Colorado’s protection was far superior and the Avalanche was enjoying with an additional gear the Lightning could not match by means of the primary half of the sport.
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Then because the Lightning have been making a change to their line, Colorado obtained a breakaway alternative and Darren Helm simply beat Vasilevskiy to offer the Avalanche a 5-0 lead with 3:30 to go within the second interval.
The groups exchanged pleasantries across the Avalanche aim as Colorado had a minor penalty and Tampa was hit with a four-minute penalty, giving the Avs an influence play to finish the second interval.
At the tip of the second interval, the Colorado crowd was chanting “We want the Cup” because the Avalanche have been simply dealing with the Lightning, 5-0.
As the third interval obtained underway, the Lightning saved Vasilevskiy in between the pipes as Tampa Bay was searching for something constructive to construct upon within the ultimate stanza.
Tampa went on the ability play simply over a minute into the third interval hoping to lastly get on the aim after failing to take action within the final dozen energy performs.
And simply because the Lightning have been searching for something to construct on, Colorado’s Cale Makar hit a slapshot from practically the very same place on the ice as Manson did earlier within the recreation to offer the Avalanche a 6-0 lead.
Colorado was then capable of kill off the remaining time on the ability play as each groups went to full energy.
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Not that they wanted any extra assist, however Tampa Bay dedicated one other penalty with 11:41 to go within the third interval giving Colorado a power-play alternative.
And identical to in the remainder of the sport, the Avalanche utterly outexecuted Tampa of their zone and Makar slapped a shot simply previous Vasy to offer Colorado a 7-0 lead.
The solely indicators of life from Tampa within the third interval got here with about 4 minutes to go within the recreation when gamers from each groups virtually began a big struggle. Several gamers confronted off, however issues calmed down earlier than each groups obtained uncontrolled.
Tampa Bay wound up with a two-minute energy play after the referees sorted out the penalties. But the Lightning was unable to get something going and Colorado’s penalty-killing unit once more did its job.
As the ultimate seconds ticked off the clock, it was evident the Avalanche utterly outplayed the Lightning in each aspect of the sport as Colorado took a 2-0 series lead.
The recreation was Vasy’s worst recreation of his whole profession of greater than 400 video games.
Tampa now limps again dwelling to Amalie Arena needing a HUGE efficiency in Game 3 to have any shot at coming again within the series. But with Tampa now going through the duty of getting to win 4 of the following 5 video games, it seems to be as if Lightning won’t strike a 3rd straight time within the Stanley Cup Final.
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