The Tampa Bay Lightning once again found a way to do it with their backs against the wall. (Getty)
Ondrej Palat scored the game-winning goal with 41 seconds remaining as the Tampa Bay Lightning came back in the third period to defeat the New York Rangers in Game 3.
Tampa Bay overcame a 2-1 deficit entering the final frame, but Steven Stamkos scored the game-tying goal on the power play just over a minute into the period before Palat emerged as the hero of the Game. 3.
Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and had two assists, while Igor Shesterkin’s heroics were not enough for New York to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Here are three takeaways from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kucherov plays like a man possessed by dynasty status at stake
For all intents and purposes, if the Rangers took a 3-0 series lead, you might as well have booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final and this certainly wasn’t lost on the Lightning, who played with tremendous sense of urgency. Nikita Kucherov seemed to understand this better than anyone, playing like a man possessed throughout the contest while showing off his otherworldly skill in a must-play game for back-to-back champions.
It didn’t always look like Kucherov would be rewarded for his efforts, as he attacked the offensive zone with real menace throughout the match. In the middle of the first period, Kucherov broke into a solo breakaway, but Igor Shesterkin stole from him. Perhaps a lesser team, one without a championship pedigree, would have been put off. New York built a 2-0 lead in the second period after a particularly undisciplined stretch from Tampa Bay led to power play goals from red-hot Mika Zibanejad (12 points during an eight-point streak) and Chris Kreider. You could almost carve the Rangers into the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Tampa Bay threw everything they had at Shesterkin and it didn’t seem to matter until Kucherov broke through on the power play, once Victor Hedman passed New York’s extended keeper, and changed the trajectory of the contest. Throughout Game 3, the Lightning were the superior team, throwing a constant barrage of shots at Shesterkin, but Kucherov’s goal fueled a needed comeback in the third period.
the story continues
Kucherov helped set up Stamkos’ game-tying goal of the game, handing the puck to Corey Perry and distracting a nearby Rangers defender. Perry delivered the puck right into Stamkos’ wheelhouse (when he finally enters the Hall of Fame, he might start with a roll full of one-offs) and the game changed completely. Tampa Bay outshot New York 13-3 in the final frame and deserved the win.
With an unexpected flair for the dramatic, Kucherov saved the best for last. As three Rangers defenders collapsed into the slot, Kucherov threw a pass without looking at the post to Palat, who sent it just past Shesterkin for the game-winner. Palat’s puck recovery ability and versatility throughout the lineup have made him a tremendous asset to the Lightning, but sometimes it takes a unique talent for him to turn the tide.
If Lightning does make it back to the series, it must start with Kucherov’s Game 3 performance.
The Lightning Bolts have relied too much on their power play.
Palat’s game winner might change the equation a bit, but it wasn’t enough to dispel the notion that the Lightning are becoming too reliant on their power play. It was the first goal Tampa Bay had scored in 5-on-5 since Game 1: Nick Paul’s third-period scoring in Game 2 came as he had taken out the goalie, and despite the procession of shots sent to Shesterkin, it seemed the Tampa’s offense had completely dried up at 5 on 5.
Tampa Bay overcame an excellent New York penalty and was much better in Game 3, in large part because Victor Hedman made calmer blue-line reads, allowing Kucherov and Stamkos to be permanently available in the shooting lanes. . Maybe this is a complicated way of saying that the Lightning are becoming too reliant on their top six for offense in general, but even though the math indicates the Bolts may not be in any real danger, they’re not getting much out of it. its the bottom six.
Alex Killorn has struggled a lot throughout the playoffs, and this was perhaps his best outing since the Maple Leafs series, receiving two penalties while the Lightning posted a 68 percent shooting percentage when on the ice at 5-vs. 5 via Natural Stat. Trick. The line of Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel outscored their opponents 24-5 in Game 3, but did not lead to any real goals. This could be a problem in the future, if you believe Killorn and Cirelli’s underwhelming offensive production isn’t just bad shooting luck.
Can the Bolts get going 5 on 5? There’s room for optimism in the math, but despite their best performance of the series, Lightning could be in trouble relying solely on Kucherov, Stamkos and Hedman to put the puck into the net.
Shesterkin’s quest for a Triple Crown
Igor Shesterkin was brilliant once again for the Rangers, notching 48 saves in a losing effort. Had the Rangers taken this game to overtime and won, the victory would be largely attributed to the heroics of New York’s world goalie. Shesterkin is the Vezina Trophy favorite, has been nominated for the Hart Trophy and, despite the loss, should be elevated to the top of the Conn Smythe Trophy power rankings, operating under the assumption that Connor McDavid and the Edmontons Oilers will reserve tee times. after Monday night.
Shesterkin gave the Rangers every chance to win on Sunday, blocking Kucherov on a breakaway in the first period, and it seemed almost impossible to beat him as the 26-year-old slid alertly across his line. He saved a little over 1.5 goals more than expected via Natural Stat Trick and without him you could see the Lightning walk away with a comfortable win, rather than it going down at the last minute.
This may very well be the best individual season we’ve seen from a goalkeeper in the last 12 years and Shesterkin should have plenty of hardware to take home this summer. It’s almost certain he’ll walk away with the Vezina and maybe because I’m writing this from Toronto, but it looks like he’ll finish second to Auston Matthews for the Hart, so the quest for a Triple Crown may be more theoretical than realistic. The fact that Shesterkin is genuinely in contention for an individual Triple Crown speaks volumes about his rise to stardom.
Shesterkin has done all this in full view of Andrei Vasilevskiy, a player he and many others have considered the best goalkeeper in the world, a reputation earned thanks to his consistent stellar performances over the past six years. If the Rangers advance to the Cup, it should catapult them to the top of Conn Smythe’s standings and it’s certainly worth expanding his candidacy now.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com