The Lightning are not the type of team to go away quietly.
Down 3-1 and facing the monumental task of needing to beat the best team in the NHL three games on the bounce, the banged-up Bolts had every excuse in the book to not be at their best in Game 5.
But that just isn’t how this team is wired. Instead of ceding the floor to the Avalanche, the Lightning played perhaps their best game of the entire postseason on Friday night en route to a 3-2 win. With the series shifting back to Tampa, the Bolts will have the benefit of the last change and should have a good chance of getting the game on their terms. We know that the Lightning won’t fancy themselves in a track meet against the Avs, so it would not be a surprise for the Bolts to sell out to ugly this one up.Stanley Cup Final 2022 Game 6Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Andrei Vasilevskiy is growing into this playoff series.
After a wobbly start in Games 1 and 2, the all-world netminder has been elite over the past three contests with a .939 save percentage and a +3.3 Goals Saved Above Expectation. The 27-year-old was especially sharp in Game 5 and only was beaten by a couple of awkward bounces off his own players. Also encouraging is that the Lightning defense has finally found a foothold in this series. After struggling to keep up with the Avalanche for the lion’s share of the first four games, the Bolts limited the Avs to just 1.8 expected goals and six high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 on Friday night. That kind of defensive effort, coupled with Vasilevskiy’s form, should make Tampa Bay tough to break down.New customers only. Must be 21+. AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY only.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lightning top Avalanche, 3-2, to send Stanley Cup Final back to Tampa BayGAME STORY: The Avs lead the series 3-2 and head back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Sunday. “It’s not supposed to be easy and it’s not going to be easy and we knew that coming into (the playoffs) and coming into (Friday),” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said.
Read more »
Lightning win Game 5, deny Avs chance to take Stanley CupThe Tampa Bay Lightning spoiled Colorado’s party and they are still in the hunt for a third straight Stanley Cup title after beating the Avalanche 3-2 in Game 5.
Read more »
Lightning staves off elimination, sends Stanley Cup finals back to TampaThe two-time defending champions' thrilling 3-2 win, on forward Ondrej Palat's goal, sends the series back to Tampa.
Read more »
Avalanche vs. Lightning: Colorado falls short in Game 5 of Stanley Cup FinalWill the Avs get to hoist the cup at home tonight? Check out live updates from Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final here in Denver.
Read more »
Lightning nip Avalanche with late goal in Game 5 to stay alive in Stanley CupDENVER — The Tampa Bay Lightning spoiled Colorado’s party to stay in the hunt for a third straight Stanley Cup title, beating the Avalanche 3-2 on Friday night in Game 5. Ondrej Palat scored …
Read more »