The Pittsburgh Penguins stayed alive in the NHL Eastern Conference finals with a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday, squaring the series 3-3 and forcing a decisive Game 7.
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The difference between the level of play in the first 40 minutes and the final frame were night-and-day.
However, the Penguins were not about to let that happen. Phil Kessel leads Pittsburgh with nine goals, Nick Bonino has 12 assists and Sidney Crosby has 48 shots on goal.
The Lightning reportedly hosted a well-attended party for Game 5 on Sunday but were forced to nix Thursday’s planned event, and the National Hockey League told Deadspin that the team was only allowed to host one official event per series. The Thunder Alley watch party has been cancelled for game 7 by way of the crappy national TV ratings for the NHL playoffs. “Any time you miss an opportunity like this, it’s disappointing”.
“I think we’re all excited”, Dumoulin said.
Crosby stepped up with his third game-winning goal of the series. The Penguins would nab the win and force a game seven at home.
Head coach Mike Sullivan went right back to Matt Murray in Game 6, a move that paid off as the young netminder turned away 29 shots and 18 in the final period alone.
The moment was a lot to ask of a rookie still battling teenage acne who two days earlier was told he wasn’t the guy to get the Penguins to the Promised Land.
The scene in their locker room after the skate was fairly typical of most game days, although players generally acknowledged that their intensity is ratcheted up because of the circumstances. We didn’t do a good job of that, and it’s not just the D but the whole team, everybody working as a unit, being open, calling for the puck, helping out for support.
Kessel’s goal was his team-leading ninth of the playoffs.
Evgeni Malkin has scored four goals and nine assists, but he has not hit his stride. Tampa Bay boasts plenty of battle-tested Game 7 performers, including defenseman Anton Stralman, who is 7-0 in such contests, forward Brian Boyle (6-0) and defenseman Matt Carle (5-0).
Game 7 has been good to the Lightning throughout history. However, they are not about to concede anything.
Tampa Bay pushed hard for the equaliser, punishing the Penguins against the boards and creating chances, but the Penguins boosted their buffer with just over two minutes to play.
The Penguins will be back on their home ice Thursday – where Tampa Bay has won two of three games in this series – with the victor advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.
Game 7 is Thursday night, with the Penguins hoping to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009 and the Lightning looking to advance to the Cup Final for the second straight year. While he has had better postseason performances over his career, he is still a player that the Lightning have to worry about.
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This series has been a real back-and-forth affair with three lead changes and now into a decisive Game 7. Neither Stamkos or Bishop is expected to play tonight, but at this point in the series Tampa Bay might be better off without them on the ice.
