Ondrej Palat scored the winner in the third period to extend the Stanley Cup final to a Game 6 in Tampa. (Getty Images)
It seems like all Tampa Bay Lightning needs is a pulse.
With the Stanley Cup in the building and preparations for the championship, the Lightning ruined the party Friday night at the Ball Arena, scoring late to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in the fifth game.
It was Ondrej Palat who extended the Stanley Cup final, scoring in an expert dissection of the offensive zone from the Lightning’s top five drive with just over six minutes to play regulation.
Marked in a single shot into the high slot with a pass from Victor Hedman, Palat’s goal established a third and final advantage of the match for the team looking for a third consecutive Stanley Cup.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was brilliant again in an elimination scenario, deflecting 35 of the 37 shots facing the Lightning net. Jan Rutta and Nikita Kucherov had the other goals for Tampa Bay, while Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar scored the temporary tie for Colorado. Makar added to his highest points total with two points, and continued to lead the Avalanche offensively during those playoffs.
In a twist of fate, a penalty from too many men, legitimate, was evaluated against the Avalanche in the final minutes, frustrating a realistic possibility that the Avalanche would get a third tie in the match.
That late offense to the Avalanche was an example of the many ways he had the feeling that the Lightning were using their environment and situation, to their advantage in their attempt to stay alive.
It seemed as if there was an expectation in the building, and perhaps among the Avalanche, that they would finish the series in Game 5, and rightly so. And when this did not happen to them, and to the crowd, immediately the nervous energy and frustration rose and increased, with much directed at the officials.
Meanwhile, the Lightning did not bother, remained diligent in their defensive structure, puncturing and puncturing, and allowed the Avalanche to react to changes in the excitement and state of the game as they sought to stay away. .
The story goes on
Colorado would break twice, tying the game momentarily with their two goals. But it was almost as if the moments worked against the Avalanche, because the expectation returned, seeing them press too hard, leaving openings for the Lightning to respond.
It was the perfect example of the knowledge of the situation that benefited the team that has sailed before these waters.
Now the Lightning will return home for a 6-game elimination to continue testing the nerves of a Colorado team that has yet to prove it can complete the job.
If there’s one area of the Colorado game that’s especially troubling, it’s still the situation in goal and the massive advantage Vasilevskiy seems to have over Darcy Kuemper.
The first of Rutta’s playoffs, which opened the scoring, scored the second time in so many games that Kuemper allowed a goal that clearly should have stopped. It was a non-chance from a non-scorer, and a shot fired from the top of the circle with no traffic in front of him.
Goalkeeping experts will also choose Palat’s goal when considering Kuemper’s role. While it’s a glorious look for the unannounced striker, Kuemper clearly doesn’t challenge the shooter, and the incorrect placement of his stick allows the shot to travel through his padding to the back of the net.
With Vasilevskiy rarely winning clean since the second game explosion, the Avalanche runs the risk of the goalkeeping division damaging what looked like a Stanley Cup opening.
Still, the Lightning are working remarkably close to the goal in a third straight postseason that will involve a minimum of 23 games.
Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak managed to play with their respective injuries, while Brayden Point was not considered ready. Still, Cirelli was limited to less than 12 minutes, meaning the Lightning could be without any of its dominant two-way centers as the series continues.
It feels like survival, as much as hockey does, for the Lightning.
It’s good that no team survives better.
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