Tampa leads the series 2-0 as it shifts to Detroit, with Game 3 scheduled for Sunday. That doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign with Tampa Bay, but there certainly are a lot of variables at play with the Lightning.”They scored three…I don’t maybe four”, Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg said.
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Game One saw both teams combine for 72 hits and this one was no different. The Lightning advanced in seven games in launching a run to their second Stanley Cup final appearance, and it doesn’t figure to be any easier this year with leading goal scorer Steven Stamkos and defenceman Anton Stralman out with injuries.
“We’ve got to stay out of the box, and that was too any penalties in a row”, Callahan said.
The Wings were not able to build on it, instead seeing the Lightning respond 3 minutes later when Brian Boyle trailed on a rush to get the puck in the slot and make it 2-1 at 6:46. Tampa Bays Mike Blunden was left with his face bloodied after fighting with Abdelkader. And all that came after he was victimized by Florida defensive breakdowns in Game 1 on Thursday night, which played a big role in him giving up five goals on 26 NY shots. Tampa Bay continued to play with high intensity offence and punishing defence, the Red Wings just couldn’t find space amidst the Tampa Bay pressure. Blunden, who skated in his third career NHL Playoff game Friday night, said the scuffles were nothing personal but rather an element of the postseason. 7, Tampa Bay, Killorn 2 (Carle, Johnson), 17:16 (en). Nikita Kucherov netted his third goal of the series and Ben Bishop finished with 30 saves to help the Lightning retain home-ice advantage.
The Wings got their fifth power play of the night early in the second period.
But two consecutive losses might open the door for Blashill to switch to Petr Mrazek, who played so well against the Lightning in last year’s playoffs.
Eventually, Killorn also added his name to the scoring tally for Tampa Bay with a goal at the 8:52 mark of the third period to give the Lightning the lead and eventually the win. The next match-up is on Friday, April 15, at the Amalie Arena with the puck drop schedule for 7pm ET. Fresh after spending two weeks away from the ice, he topped the charts in minutes played (30:59) and shots attempted (nine), and seemed to grow stronger as the game wore on-a key factor as the Hawks slowly wrestled control of the contest away from the Blues midway through the second.
Still, 2-0 is better than the 1-1 start of a year ago. “That was my first playoff game and I knew what to expect tonight”. “There were a few where we only had a few seconds on the power play, but that’s how it goes”.
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There is no doubt that some Lightning players will be looking to take it to Abdelkader in game 3.
