Lightning
Win in OT, Put Penguins on Brink
Tyler Johnson’s game-winner 53 seconds
into overtime put the Tampa Bay Lightning up 3-2 in their best of 7 series
against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are now one win away from a second
consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Nikita Kucherov tied the score twice
in the game 5 win Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Both teams traded chances in the 1st
period, but nobody could get through the tight defenses. In the dying seconds
of the period, however, a determined Bryan Rust went hard to the net, producing
a rebound that defenseman Brian Dumoulin buried with 0.7 seconds remaining. The
Penguins scored 90 seconds into the 2nd when Carl Hagelin deflected
Olli Maata’s pass to the front of the net where Patric Hornqvist was waiting to
go up 2-0.
Midway through the 2nd, the
Penguins got a power play with the opportunity to go up 3-0. Luckily for the
Lightning, their penalty killers went to work and successfully killed off the penalty.
This particular penalty kill turned out to be a major turning point in the game.
Seconds later, at 13:15, Alex Killorn scored high shortside on Marc-Andre
Fleury, who was playing his first game in almost 2 months. Shortly after the
Lightning began to shift the momentum, Nikita Kucherov scored his first of 2
tying goals to even the score. The Lightning had scored twice in 70 seconds to
tilt the ice in their favor.
The Penguins again scored late in a
period when Chris Kunitz shot a rebound through Vasilevskiy with 50 seconds to
go. Pittsburgh had not yet lost a game this season when leading after 2
periods. They held a perfect 46-0 record in those situations. The Lightning had
other plans, however. In a tightly contested 3rd period, the
Penguins were unable to find an insurance goal to put the game away. That would
come back to haunt them in the end.
Nikita Kucherov tied the score again
with 3:16 remaining in regulation on a wrap around. Game 5 of the 2-2 series
entered overtime tied 3-3. Whoever scored the next goal would put the other
team on the brink of elimination. It took less than a minute for an overtime
hero to be revealed. That overtime hero turned out to be Tyler Johnson, who
scored a rather unconventional goal when Jason Garrison’s shot went off his
rear-end to beat Fluery and win the game. Pittsburgh is now 46-1 when leading
after 2 periods this season, and have lost consecutive games for the first time
since mid-January.
The series now heads back to Tampa for
a possibly decisive game 6. We will either see handshakes in Tampa on Tuesday
or in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Penguins, however, are not at all discouraged
by the loss. Patric Hornqvist confidently said, “there’s no doubt in my mind we’re
coming back here for a game 7.” Questions still remain for the Penguins over
which goalie will start game 6. Fleury, who was shaky at times during the game,
felt he could have played better. He said, “I should have been better, especially
on that first goal.” Whoever starts in goal for Pittsburgh will have to be
solid in game 6 for the series to continue. Due to current circumstances,
however, I think the Lightning will close out the series at home on Tuesday.
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