Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith (2) is checked by Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) during the second period of Game 4 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in Detroit.
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Tampa Bay’s Vezina Trophy candidate stopped 34 shots, Alex Killorn scored with less than two minutes remaining and the Lightning advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
Following a physical five-game series with the Detroit Red Wings, the Tampa Bay Lightning will deservedly get a few days off before starting their Eastern Conference Semifinal playoff series.
Tampa Bay doesn’t want the series to drag on like it did a year ago as it tries to move on to the second round in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 12 years.
When things dont go well you over-think stuff, Henrik Zetterberg said.
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to finish off the Detroit Red Wings when these two meet in Game 5 of their series tonight at 7PM ET. “We didn’t score more than two goals [in the series] so it is not easy to win if you don’t score two… if you don’t score, you don’t win”. “We have a chance to close it out but we expect them to be at their best”.
Teemu Pulkkinen, maybe he could help the power play, Blashill said.
“At the end we took off and played better”. “After the second period, we still had a chance – and we probably shouldn’t have had a chance”.
The Lightning coach said it reminded him of Game 7 in last year’s first round against Detroit, when Bishop had a 2-0 shutout.
Detroit only scored eight goals in the series, though not because of a lack of opportunities. Facing elimination, Detroit backed off from the physical, contentious, fight-filled play that had marked the first four games.A fortuitous carom off the backboard bounced into the slot for a wide-open Dylan Larkin in Game 2.
The first and second periods ended in a scoreless tie. “That’s why at one point [I decided] to go back [to] playing hockey, making sure I’m at least playing – if it’s Syracuse, it’s Syracuse”.
Ryan Getzlaf and Andrew Cogliano also scored as the road team stayed ideal in this best-of-seven series.
NOTES: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attended the game after getting a tour of District Detroit, which includes an arena the Red Wings plan to play in during the 2017-18 season.
Animosity was high in the first three games of this first-round series, the 250 combined penalty minutes about 40 percent of the entire playoffs entering Tuesday. “You don’t expect to go 3 for 5, and at some point special teams is going to affect a series”. Chicago accounted for 78 minutes in penalties in game four – the most for the franchise since 1991 when they accounted for 90 in a playoff game against the Minnesota North Stars.
First-1, Tampa Bay, Kucherov 4 (Johnson, Drouin), 5:41 (pp).
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Nikita Kucherov, who was second on the team during the season with nine power-play goals, scored twice and Jonathan Drouin added three assists. Neither have been a particularly great matchup for the Bolts this season, though, as the Lightning won just one won five regular season games against the Cats, and one of three with the Islanders.
