The Backcheck: Lightning overcome early deficit to take Recreation 3 in Dawn – NHL.com

Beat author Benjamin Pierce recaps the Recreation 3 win over Florida
The Tampa Bay Lightning stood head to head with a tall process on Saturday.
Two days after dropping a tight-checking, back-and-forth Recreation 2 on house ice to go down 2-0 of their first spherical collection of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Lightning traveled to Dawn for Recreation 3 in opposition to their in-state rivals and the defending Stanley Cup champions within the Florida Panthers.
Tampa Bay didn’t flinch.
As a substitute, the Lightning scored 5 unanswered targets to say a 5-1 win over the Panthers and pull themselves inside one win of night the best-of-seven collection, set to proceed with Recreation 4 at 7 p.m. on Monday at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment.
Jon Cooper | Postgame Recreation at Florida Panthers
“To be sincere, you’d have by no means recognized sitting within the locker room after Recreation 2 that we have been down 0-2,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “And so, driving into this sport wasn’t going to ensure the outcome, however I knew rattling effectively how the trouble was going to be and so they delivered”
For a 3rd straight sport, Florida held a 1-0 lead earlier than the fifth minute of hockey. And nonetheless, the Lightning by no means wavered.
Florida stopped a Lightning clearing try, and Sam Bennett skated the puck by way of the left facet of the zone. The puck rolled off his stick however discovered Matthew Tkachuk on the proper publish, and the latter tapped house the sport’s opening purpose 2:43 into the primary interval.
Tampa Bay responded late within the interval, as Brayden Level’s second purpose of the collection tied the sport 1-1.
Nikita Kucherov slipped by way of two Florida gamers close to the blue line with a cutback transfer above the correct circle and tapped a cross to Guentzel, whose shot hit Level and beat Sergei Bobrovsky on the blocker facet with 2:45 left within the first interval.
“It’s a unique feeling, a bit of little bit of a confidence increase there,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh mentioned of going into the intermission tied. “You can simply really feel our forwards took it up one other notch there as far executing, hanging onto pucks, enjoying a bit of bit extra poised and composed and seeing issues occur on the market, in order that’s an excellent signal.”
Nick Paul’s first purpose of the collection gave the guests the lead for good. A give-and-go with Gage Goncalves within the impartial zone created a 2-on-1, and Paul opted for a shot from the left faceoff circle that slipped by way of Bobrovsky’s left skate 6:43 into the second interval.
“We have been simply enjoying good hockey,” Paul mentioned. “Whenever you’re shifting North and also you’re getting pucks to the online and also you simply hold constructing momentum, you understand one’s going to go. From there you’ve simply bought to maintain constructing on it. We had an excellent couple shifts earlier than that, we have been simply constructing and constructing.”
Guentzel and Kucherov wanted solely 21 seconds of interval three to make it 3-1 throughout a brief take a look at 4-on-4. Kucherov’s cross from behind the purpose line met Guentzel close to the left publish, the place Guentzel’s shot shocked Bobrovsky for the 3-1 purpose.
“Getting the lead is big,” Cooper mentioned. “You take a look at the best way this sport is, and the primary jiffy of the sport goes down and we’re down 1-0 and the constructing is buzzing, and that’s the place I simply suppose the psychological energy of our workforce is to have the ability to wrap your head round that after which hold going, and finally we get the tier. However whenever you pierce that bubble of, ‘Okay, now we have now the lead’, I feel that was an enormous weight off our shoulder was lastly getting that. After which finally we prolonged it and guarded it.”
Tampa Bay added extra offense late, first with Luke Glendening’s end on one other 2-on-1 rush with 5:31 left within the sport. Anthony Cirelli closed the evening along with his empty-net purpose 31 seconds later.
Guentzel discovered an open Cirelli for the final purpose regardless of being focused with a late hit by Tkachuk, who was given a five-minute main for interference on the play.
“He’s the definition of a gamer,” Glendening mentioned of Guentzel. “The larger the second, the brighter he shines.”
Guentzel completed the evening with a purpose and two assists to co-lead all gamers alongside Nikita Kucherov, who had three assists. Goncalves and McDonagh every had two assists.
Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made quite a few key stops, together with 5 with Tampa Bay shorthanded. He ended the evening with 33 saves.
Tampa Bay’s penalty kill completed the evening 4-for-4 on an evening that a number of gamers noticed extra time than traditional on these models resulting from Brandon Hagel’s absence whereas serving a one-game suspension.
Jake Guentzel and Nick Paul on Bolts offensive efficiency in Recreation 3 win over Florida.
“Our motto is subsequent man up, and we’ve bought a bunch of these guys on the workforce, no matter you want, they’ll step into that function,” Paul mentioned. “You see blocks, guys laying out each single time, consuming it, eager to eat it. And the following man, it is his flip, he needs to eat it. I feel we have now a number of guys who’re simply warriors on the market. They wish to eat these pucks. They wish to make sure that they’re getting in lanes and so they’re doing what they’ll. Whenever you’re not getting on the PK so much and one of many guys takes a penalty, it is a next-man-up mentality and also you’re simply able to go.”
Up subsequent is Recreation 4 on Monday. The Lightning know there’s nonetheless work forward as they search to return to AMALIE Enviornment with the collection tied at two video games a facet.
“I feel it’s an enormous win for our workforce, offers us some confidence and a few life within the collection. To go on the street, typically it brings all people collectively,” Guentzel mentioned… “It’s a superb step in the correct route for all of us. It’s just one sport, we gotta transfer on to the following one and be able to go.”
Benjamin’s Three Stars:

source