TAMPA, Florida (AP) - Tampa Bay Lightning’s tri-peat offer is alive and well.
With the captain Steven Stamkos leading, a two-time defending champion 2-1 in the 6th game of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, securing a place in the Stanley Cup finals for the third year in a row.
“It will be difficult to get out of this moment and look back and understand what a special group we have because there are a few more games to play,” Stamkos said. “You are still not at the end of our goal, but you say that this group is quite amazing and quite special.
Stamkos scored two goals and Andrey Vasilevsky had 20 saves for Lightning, who won a 4-2 series - winning four consecutive games after losing the first two away - and will face Colorado Avalanche in the Cup final.
The first game is played on Wednesday night in Denver.
“It’s probably not the best word to use, but I’m damn impressed with this group,” said coach John Cooper.
“It’s impressive what they did… I’m completely impressed with what they’re doing to win the hockey game,” he added. “And the fact that they have all the excuses in the world not to win because no one would blame them by saying hey, you won one, you won two and come back and go to the third. I’m impressed.”
Stamkos forever gave Lightning the lead in the third period just 21 seconds after New Yorker Frank Vatrano scored a goal in a power game with the Tampa Bay captain in the penalty area for holding.
Nikita Kucherov i Ondrej Palat assisted the winner with more than six minutes until the end, and in turn rejected Stamkos’ knee into the net after the Rangers goalkeeper Igor Šesterkin stopped the initial blow.
Stamkos also scored after hitting the wrist from the top of the right circle in the middle of the second period.
“Obviously I was a little disappointed in myself that I took the penalty … It’s easy to say now, but for some reason I wasn’t as upset as usual in those situations,” Stamkos said. “In our group, I was only convinced that we would find a way, whether it was a matter of regulations or an extension. We deserved to win the game. That was the feeling we had after the fall of the puck. “
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Lightning is the first team to make three consecutive appearances in the Cup final since Edmonton did it from 1983-85. They are trying to become the first to win three consecutive championships since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.
The Rangers, who lost 3–2 in the series for the third round in a row, had 5–0 in the elimination games this postseason before Saturday night.
The only teams to win multiple elimination games in one postseason were the New York Islanders in 1975 (eight), the 2014 Los Angeles Kings (seven) and the 2003 Minnesota Wild (six).
“It’s difficult now. But we played well, we fought hard, we had the opportunity to win all those games, “said Rangers coach Gerard Gallan. “They found a way to achieve a great goal in a great moment.
New York fell in three of the first four games before winning three consecutive elimination games and beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. He lost the first two away games in Carolina before refusing to knock out the Hurricanes in seven games and reach the East finals.
It was another story on Saturday night, with Lightning limiting New York’s chances of beating the Rangers 31-21.
Vasilevski has come a long way without testing. He had only seven shots in the first period, six in the second and eight in the third.
Shesterkin, meanwhile, stopped 29 of 31 shots and made a great defense after a great defense to give New York a chance.
“I thought Igor was extraordinary. Every night he gave us a chance to win. We were better in many games, but he was outstanding. He was our best player all year and again in this series - said Galan.
“Shesterkin was amazing. “He made some incredible defenses to keep them in it, but I think I just felt a calming presence because of the group,” Stamkos said. “It was just one of those evenings in which it was the next shift after, whether the goal was scored by me or someone else, it was just a feeling that we will do it.
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