The Lightning were A LOT better tonight, and they had to be. They could not afford to go down 3-0, as that would have all but sealed their fate as defending cup champions. But they are not out of the woods yet as the injury bug is coming upon them at the worst possible time.
Tampa Bay realized they can’t start off these finals games by giving up 3-0 in the first period, then lethargically waste away the game trying to recover an insurmountable deficit. And, to all the Tampa Fan’s delight, they actually ended the first period with a lead.
Yes, Tampa was actually able to take the lead on the Avalanche, which was for the first time all series long. And, better yet, they held it for the rest of the game. Tampa was superior against the Avalanche tonight for the majority of the game, and they were able to capitalize on the rare chances the Avs gave up.
Normally, I would say that this would end up being the Avalanche’s worst game played overall, but I just can’t predict these things anymore. I thought Game 1 was going to end up as the Lightning’s worst game played of the series, and then Game 2 happened.
So, perhaps this will end up being the Avalanche’s worst game, or maybe the Avalanche will end up on the receiving end of a severe blowout one of these nights.
What should concern the Tampa Bay Lightning more than the Avalanche is the number of injuries now piling up. Brayden Point was ruled out of this game. He has now missed parts of the Toronto series, the majority of the Florida series, the entirety of the New York series, and a game against the Avs.
And I wouldn’t’ bet on him being in the lineup come Game 4.
Now, Point was not very good in the first two games of the series, but it is clear that he is playing through a significant amount of pain. If he does not want to jeopardize his career by playing through what seems to be a serious injury, then he should sit out. Still, Tampa will miss him significantly if he doesn’t play again this series.
The bigger loss, however, would be Nikita Kucherov. He left early on in the 3rd period and didn’t return to the game. Yes, the game was already a blowout by that point, but it looked as though Kucherov was seriously hurt after he was hit by Devon Toews. If he can’t go for Game 4, the Lightning are in enormous trouble.
In truth, the future of Kucherov’s availability in this series will determine if Tampa Bay can put up a strong enough effort to win their 3rd straight Stanley Cup.
Images Source:
