TAMPA, Florida – As the sun shined across the city on the bay this morning and optimism was high in Tampa, darkness and rain developed as game time approached. Within an hour of puck drop, the skies opened up as it poured and spectacular lightning bolts plummeted from the sky. It was a prelude of what was to come.
Six different goal scorers powered the Tampa Bay Lightning to victory over the Colorado Avalanche bringing the defending champions back into the series. Trailing 2-0 as they returned home to their adoring fans, the Lightning hoped to draw on the energy which has helped lead the team to 11 straight series victories.
But the night did not start out anywhere near the way it ended despite two glorious chances for the home team on Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper who came up big to deny the first goal.
Not longer after this sequence, Colorado’s Jamie Compher picked up the rebound of a right point shot from teammate Cale Makar, but Vasilevskiy made a right toe save to deny the chance
With just less than five minutes in the frame, Colorado made an effort to keep the puck in on the far blue line opposite the Tampa bench, but it came out. Play continued without stoppage despite the reaction of two Lightning players, lifting their arms and sticks to indicate an offside play. This likely contributed to a relaxed goaltender who allowed the puck to sail past him on the ensuing shot.
Upon further review, brought on by a Tampa Bay challenge and as I could plainly see from the last row of the arena, the puck squeaked outside the zone. The play was overturned and ruled offside and a face-off outside the Tampa zone restarted play.
Just less than six minutes into the period and with Tampa pressuring Colorado, Steven Stamkos was dumped in the slot and Jamie Compher was sent off for a misdemeanor, a minor penalty for interference.
Early into the power play, Ondrej Palat had a great chance at the side of the net, but Kuemper made a great right pad save. Not long after his near-goal, Palat
was sent off for a high stick against Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson in the right corner, leaving teams four aside for the next 41 seconds.
With more ice to share and some momentum being built by the visitors, Cale Makar sent a pass across to Mikko Rantanen. His shot on goal was partially blocked, but not before it squeezed through where Gabriel Landeskog poked it in and past Vasilevskiy with just ten seconds left in the man advantage.
It looked as though the Colorado player was in the crease, but the Lightning did not challenge. Colorado had the lead, the third time they drew first blood in as many games in the Final.
With just more than nine minutes left in the 1st, the Lightning went back on the power play after Alex Newhook was sent off or holding the stick of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. It was the first of good things to come for Tampa Bay.
With six shots on the man advantage and nothing to show for it, the Lightning regained the puck in their own zone just as Newhook was returning to draw the teams even.
Pat Maroon sped up the left side and crossed center ice. He sent a pass ahead, up to his right where Anthony Cirelli corralled the puck with the inside of his right skate. With some nifty handling of the puck, he directed it to his stick. With the puck on this blade, he drove to the goal, slipping the puck along the ice, just inside the right post to knot the game up.
The Lightning were just getting warmed up. Less than two minutes after the tying goal, Tampa went on a rush down the right side. Ondrej Palat dipped over the line with the puck and then left it for Steven Stamkos as he went to the goal. The captain sent the puck right back to him on the left side and he deposited it into the top left corner to give the Lightning their first lead of the series.
As the period came to a close, Colorado had a flurry of changes, right up until the buzzer, but couldn’t penetrate #88 and the Lightning fled to the dressing room with a 2-1 lead.
Shots were 14-12 Colorado with this favoring Tampa Bay 15-9.
Then the Lightning began to take control.
Just 1:26 into the middle frame, the Lightning, decided it was time to get busy and add to their lead. Nick Paul found himself in the high slot and accepted a pass Ross Colton dug out from behind the goal line. It sent Amalie Arena into a frenzy.
The Lightning had now scored as many goals in the last 21:26 as they did in the first 121:23 minutes of the Final.
Just less than two minutes later, Vasilevskiy kicked a rebound from the right side onto a waiting Colorado player. The poorly directed shot was sent back toward the Lightning goal, but the big goalie’s right pad saved the day and play ended with a smother.
After Anthony Cirelli was called for tripping, the Avalanche closed the lead to 3-2 just 43 seconds later. That’s when the visitors worked their rocky mountain magic, Mikko Rantanen, over to Landeskog to Artturi Lehkonen on a tremendous passing play working the puck around the cage. Both Colorado goals were scored on the power play.
Tampa Bay answered a little more than three minutes later, Stamkos accepted a Nikita Kucherov pass in the slot and sent a quick wrister high glove side to give the Lightning a 4-2 lead.
Just seconds after the goal, Bellemare, while entering the corner for the puck, was helped down by Colorado defenseman Josh Manson, drawing the ire of Lightning forward Pat Maroon as play went back the other way. Both were sent off for roughing minors and the teams went back to work 4-on-4.
With a few chances from both teams and the coincidental minors expired, play was active near the penalty benches. That’s where Maroon jumped back in the play, accepting a long pass from Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman. Maroon skated the puck across the Colorado line, leaving the puck for Kucherov. The gifted Russian playmaker gave the puck back to Maroon who drove hard toward Kuemper. Maroon then sent a drive up the right arm of the Colorado goalie and into the net to make it 5-2.
With lots of jump in their game, the Lightning began to get a little more physical, delivering hits with a little more punishment in mind. That caused Nico Sturm to get rid of the puck a little sooner than he would have liked and when the puck went clear over the glass in the Avalanche zone, it was a two-minute delay of game penalty, Lightning back on the power play.
Hedman kept the puck in on the right point and dished the puck off to Palat who sent a heavy drive toward the net. The puck dinged of the post and deflected off the back of Kuemper, propelling it toward the goal line before veteran Corey Perry knocked it in to make it 6-2.
Kuemper was done for the night, having allowed 6 goals on 24 shots. It was now up to Pavel Francouz to shut the door.
Not long after the goalie switch, Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn was sent off for slashing Cale Makar, but Colorado could do nothing with the advantage.
Colorado regained the lead in shots, 27-26, but still trailed in hits, 26-23 and in the all-important score, 6-2.
Colorado had several good chances to start the final stanza, some of which put changes in all alone on Vasilevskiy, but the Avalanche couldn’t break through.
Game Four is Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET from Amalie Arena. A Colorado victory extends the Avalanche lead in the series to 3-1 and a chance to close out the Final on Friday night in Denver.
A Tampa Bay victory in Game Four ties the series with a Game Six added to the confirmed schedule with the Cup in the building and the potential awarding of it to the team winning Game Five.
Dennis Morrell has enjoyed many years of experience in the great game as a writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and current active USA Hockey-certified referee with over 2,000 games donning the striped jersey and keeping the game fair and safe. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at skaters at Clayton’s Shaw Park. He can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
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