By the time the primary interval ended, the Avalanche held a 3-0 lead and deafening chants of “We want the Cup! We want the Cup!” rang all through Ball Arena. They would solely develop louder because the evening wore on.
Colorado skated circles across the once-unflappable Lightning. Each time the Avalanche entered the offensive zone, there appeared an inevitability about issues, as if a aim might come at any second — and infrequently did. And the occasions Colorado didn’t rating? It was inches, if not centimeters, away.
“I feel like we played to our identity to a T tonight,” defenseman Cale Makar mentioned. “… Guys were able to capitalize.”
The Avalanche almost doubled up the Lightning on photographs, placing 30 on the often stout Andrei Vasilevskiy (23 saves). The seven targets have been essentially the most Vasilevskiy has allowed in a playoff sport.
Tampa Bay despatched simply 16 photographs Darcy Kuemper’s method, and he stopped all of them.
Colorado ahead Valeri Nichushkin continued his robust postseason, main the way in which early with a pair of targets because the Avalanche constructed a 5-0 lead coming into the third. Makar took over the scoring from there, scoring twice within the ultimate body.
The Avalanche heads east with all of the momentum because it seeks its first Stanley Cup since 2001.
“We have to man up and be better,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos mentioned. “I have full confidence in this group.”
If there may be a silver lining for the Lightning, it’s that Tampa Bay has been right here earlier than — earlier in these playoffs, in reality. The New York Rangers took a 2-0 lead on the Lightning within the Eastern Conference finals earlier than the reigning champion rallied to win the subsequent 4.
The Lightning’s Game 3 hopes will largely experience on Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay has struggled to comprise Colorado’s pace, and the netminder has appeared gradual to open video games, yielding three targets within the first interval of each contests. His six targets allowed within the first interval are essentially the most by way of two finals video games since George Hainsworth gave up seven in 1936.
After the tight affair of Game 1, the changes made in Game 2 clearly favored the host, which continued to play quick but deliberate. Tampa Bay wished to focus on weathering the early push. It failed.
Nichushkin opened the scoring along with his power-play aim in entrance 2:54 into the sport. Forward Andre Burakovsky, who scored the additional time winner in Game 1, began the play with a good move from the proper wing boards proper to Nichushkin’s stick in entrance for the chip-in previous Vasilevskiy’s proper pad.
Nichushkin has been one of one of the best gamers on the ice in the course of the finals and in addition assisted on Burakovsky’s additional time winner.
Colorado’s lead doubled after defenseman Josh Manson led a staggering odd-man rush with 12:05 left within the first interval, scoring from the proper circle. All three Lightning forwards have been caught under the pink line, opening up time and house for the Avalanche to assault.
Burakovsky made it 3-0 with a rebound aim in entrance at 13:52 of the primary. He has 4 targets in opposition to Vasilevskiy in his previous three playoff video games in opposition to him. He virtually made it 5 along with his wide-open breakaway try late within the first, however Vasilevskiy made the save to maintain it a 3-0 sport coming into the primary intermission.
Burakovsky was injured within the second interval and didn’t return. Colorado Coach Jared Bednar mentioned Burakovsky will have to be evaluated additional, and his standing for Game 3 was unsure.
Nichushkin scored his second aim of the evening 4:51 into the second interval after he took a feed from Mikko Rantanen between the circles and beat Vasilevskiy. Center Darren Helm scored to make it 5-0 at 16:26 of the second. Makar put the ultimate two exclamation factors on the evening, scoring shorthanded 2:04 into the ultimate body after which on a energy play at 9:49.
Despite Burakovsky’s standing, the Avalanche did get some constructive well being news with the return of ahead Andrew Cogliano, who performed in his first sport since he suffered an upper-body harm throughout Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. Cogliano had surgical procedure on one of his fingers and had been slowly getting again on the ice.