The time for panic has officially begun for all Lightning fans. With another loss in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have now gone down 0-2 to this explosive Colorado Avalanche team. What makes this result even worse? The Lightning lost 7-0.
If the Lightning thought Game 1 was a bad performance, then they should be proud of themselves for how they played that game after tonight’s performance. Game 2 was a rout before the 1st period concluded. I can’t describe in words how AWFUL the Lightning have played these last two games.
It is one thing to be slow and lethargic against the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, it is a whole other thing to just play terrible against the high-powered Avalanche. The Lightning could not afford to lose Game 2 in this fashion. Any hope of a momentum swing early on in this series is gone.
The Lightning cannot afford lose another game until Game 5, and even then, that is a horrible game to have to lose. If the Lightning drop just one game in Tampa this series, then this team’s dream of a threepeat is over.
Everyone, apart from Andrei Vasilevskiy, played like they wanted this series to be over with as soon as possible. Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, and Point were nowhere to be found tonight. And when consistent playoff performers, like Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh, were constantly giving away the puck behind the net, you know the Lightning were having a horrid game.
But, like I said, at least Vasilevskiy had a bounce-back game. Considering he let in two uncharacteristically squeaky goals in Game 1, there was nothing he could do on any of the Avalanche’s 7 goals. In fact, he made the save of the game, at least in my opinion, when he robbed Nichushkin from having a hattrick with a fantastic, right-to-left glove save.
If it was not for Vasilevskiy and Tampa’s goalposts, then this game easily would have ended 12, 13, or 14-0. And I’m not even exaggerating. There were so many chances for the Avalanche to score tonight.
Still, if the Lightning want to get back into this series, then they can’t just despair and give up. As I mentioned, they have to win the two next games in Tampa. If they can win those games, whatever way possible, that might give them some spirit and confidence going into the series clinching Games 5, 6, and 7. If this series is going to be decided in those three games, then the Lighting have a great chance to win. That’s the Andrei Vasilevskiy effect. He is a brick wall when the series is on the line.
But, if they lose one of the two back-to-back Tampa games, then the Colorado Avalanche will be the first team since the 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning from the playoffs.
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