“We could have had Bish or (Vasilevskiy) in at the same time and they still might have squeaked a couple in”. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.
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It did become scary for the Lightning in the third period when the Penguins rallied for goals by Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz to make the game close.
Notes: Murray stopped 26 of 30 shots through two periods.
Brian Elliott made 20 saves for St. Louis, which is 4-5 at home and 5-2 on the road in the postseason.
Then, beginning with the Malkin goal, the Penguins outshot the Lightning, 8-0, for the rest of the game. Tampa Bay gave up 40-plus shots in back-to-back games for the first time since October 2011; the Lightning allowed 40 shots in a game just three times in the regular season, once against Pittsburgh.
For only the second time this postseason, the Lightning trail behind one game in a playoff series after a second half collapse in Game 3. “The way we executed was a lot better than it was in previous games”.
The Penguins expected the Lightning to start strong Wednesday night and the Lightning did. On the one hand, they let the Lightning back in the series. Instead, he made the mistake of trying to pass it out front to a double-covered Ondrej Palat.
So, too, could Tampa Bay’s learned success in the first two periods. Sullivan said he thought Fleury looked “solid”. “I can’t do that”. “I’d consider him in that doubtful range, but that’s better than being out”. Trevor Daley was tracking down a puck with Callahan in pursuit. He didn’t return to the game.
The Kessel line got to work again in the third, with Nick Bonino, Hagelin and Kessel teaming up to put the Penguins two goals to the good.
Neither Fleury nor Murray would speculate about the Game 5 starter. That 77% success rate is nearly unheard of.
Forget the third period for a moment. A counter rush for the Lightning benefited from some crisp passing and movement, which got the puck to Sustr all alone in the slot for the easy tap in on Matt Murray’s glove side with 5:32 to go in the period. Their high skill was on display, to be sure, but they won with more grit and fight than they showed in any of the first three games.
Now, back to that third. That many games against each other can also give a team a chance to study a team’s play, which can act as an advantage.
“We have to do a better job of playing our game”, Tyler Johnson said of the Game Four matchup. The Penguins’ all-out attack approach left them vulnerable to counter chances.
“He played great”, Jonathan Drouin said of his goalie. Stamkos, who has been sidelined since having surgery to remove a blood clot near his right collarbone on April 4, has tried not to be a distraction, but he admitted that his team had a pow-wow after its loss on Wednesday. Fleury finished with seven saves. He made some huge stops right off the bat, including a huge stop on Vladislav Namestnikov that set the stage for the comeback bid.
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“It’s hard to chase a four-goal deficit”, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters after the game. Murray has earned the start based on what he’s accomplished through three rounds. Quite frankly, I don’t think the style of play is any different. It’ll be interesting to see which way he turns.
