Bolts bounce back beating Avs 6-2 in Game 3

TAMPA, Fla. — If the Colorado Avalanche thought that they had the Tampa Bay Lightning on the ropes, the two-time defending champs had a message for them in Game 3, we’re nonetheless the champs.

The Lightning pounded the Avalanche 6-2 in Game 3 on the Amalie Arena in Tampa. It was a very completely different Lightning staff than the one which was blown out in Game 2 and will signify a very new Stanley Cup Final if Tampa Bay can duplicate this effort in Game 4 Wednesday.

The puck dropped a bit of earlier than 8:20 p.m. and each groups had been off to the races as Tampa sought to forestall one other early onslaught by the Avs.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was as much as an early problem when the Avs received a shot with many of the web open on a rebound. The Big Cat confirmed super flexibility and push to maintain the puck out of the online because the Avs squandered a golden alternative.

Then simply because the Tampa Bay crowd was settling in, Valeri Nichuskin simply beat Vasy when the Lightning didn’t clear the puck out of the zone to present Colorado a 1-0 lead. But, Tampa Bay challenged the aim saying Colorado was offside.

The video confirmed the puck cross throughout the blue line and Colorado was certainly offside which wiped the Avalanche aim off the board, making the sport 0-0 once more.

A minute or so later, Colorado was slapped with an interference penalty on Steven Stamkos, placing the Lightning’s much-maligned power-play unit on the ice for 2 minutes. Tampa Bay was 0-6 up so far in the Stanley Cup Final and nothing modified with this unit.

The Lightning was hit with a penalty for high-sticking with 12:51 placing the sport into 4-on-4 motion after which Colorado would have a 1:12 energy play alternative of their very own.

And not like Tampa Bay, the Colorado Avalanche made the Lightning pay after they had been short-handed as Gabriel Landeskog put it previous The Big Cat to present the Avs a 1-0 lead with a bit of greater than eleven minutes to go in the primary interval.

GALLERY: Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final

A couple of minutes later, Colorado was known as for a holding penalty, placing the Lightning’s power-play unit back on the ice because it tries to redeem itself and at last get on the board. But it wasn’t to be because the Lightning whiffed on passes and could not maintain the puck in their zone persistently as each groups went back to full power.

Then simply as quickly as Lightning followers had been getting down, Anthony Cirelli powered a break down the ice and snuck it previous Kuemper to tie the sport. Cirelli skated back to the bench and yelled, “Let’s Go Blue!”

Cirelli’s aim was the primary by the Lightning in greater than 80 minutes of on-ice time.

But Tampa did not waste any time getting on the board once more as Stamkos arrange Ondrei Palat with an ideal cross to present him an open shot that he simply transformed. That gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the Stanley Cup Final, 2-1.

Tampa’s crowd got here to life on the Palat aim after being largely quiet by way of the primary quarter-hour of motion.

But Tampa suffered a doubtlessly important damage as Nick Paul limped off the ice with a bit of greater than three minutes to go in the primary interval.

As all eyes turned towards Paul, Tampa was taking part in its sport and had the lead 2-1.

The Lightning appeared to proceed their scorching begin and did simply that when Nick Paul, who was back on the ice, put the biscuit in the basket lower than 90 seconds into the second interval. The aim electrified the Tampa crowd because the Lightning saved the push going.

As the clock ticked beneath 16 minutes, Colorado went on the facility play and Landeskog powered his second aim of the night time, making the rating 3-2. It was the newest instance of Tampa’s penalty kill unit being fully outmatched by Colorado.

Lightning struck once more with 12:08 to go in the second interval when Nikita Kucherov fired an ideal centering cross to Stamkos and he hit a slapshot proper previous Colorado’s goalie to as soon as once more give Tampa a two-goal lead, 4-2.

A pair of penalties made it 4-on-4 hockey once more for 2 minutes as the sport handed the halfway level.

Both groups had been back at full power with just below 9 minutes to go as Pat Maroon punched it previous Kuemper to present the Lightning a three-goal benefit, 5-2.

The fifth aim of the night time sparked a change at goalie for the Avalanche as Kuemper was despatched to the bench after giving up 5 objectives on 21 pictures. He was changed by Pavell Francouz for the Avs.

As the clock ticked down to simply 5:38 to go in the second interval, Colorado was assessed a delay of sport penalty bringing the Lightning’s power-play unit back on the ice for 2 minutes.

And that is when the power-play unit for Tampa lastly received on the board after being 0-16 when Corey Perry put a rebound shot proper into the aim giving the Lightning a 6-2 benefit with 5 minutes to go in the second interval.

AP

Tampa Bay was in a position to fend off a Colorado energy play because the clock ticked beneath two minutes in the second interval. The clock wound down with the groups almost coming to blows spawning a double-penalty that can begin the third interval in 4-on-4 motion.

It was a four-goal interval for Tampa Bay as each groups skated to the locker room for the second intermission.

The third interval began with the aforementioned 4-on-4 play earlier than giving option to full-strength motion as each groups went back and forth. Tampa Bay started to lean closely on the protection after the second-period onslaught as they protected a four-goal lead.

Tampa managed only one shot on aim by way of half of the third interval as each groups gave the impression to be checked out and looking forward to Game 4 on Wednesday night time.

Forward Nikita Kucherov went down awkwardly because of a cross-check from the Avalanche’s Devon Towes to present the Lightning a 5-on-3 benefit for 26 seconds earlier than an extended energy play after that point ticked away.

Kucherov skated off the ice and struggled to the locker room after his awkward touchdown elevating the query of his well being heading into Game 4. Tampa was unable to do something with the penalty as they managed the lead.

AP

Colorado pulled their goalie for a minute to present themselves a 6-4 benefit till the top of its energy play which Tampa was in a position to kill off with out giving up one other aim.

But earlier than the sport may finish, Tampa’s Ross Colton and Colorado’s Logan O’Connor dropped the gloves and started throwing haymakers at one another for a fast combat earlier than the top of Game 3, exhibiting simply how a lot the 2 groups don’t love one another.

As the clock wound down, the query of Kucherov and Brayden Point’s well being hung over Tampa’s victory. Still, the Lightning confirmed they don’t seem to be going to go quietly as they minimize the Avs’ collection result in 2-1.