Knife against the throat.
Then Tampa Bay Lightning won the must-win match – and shakes life in the Stanley Cup final.
And thank Victor Hedman for that…
Tampa Bay Lightning has won two straight Stanley Cup titles but has in this year’s final, the club’s third straight, ended up in a precarious position. There was an overtime loss in the first final against Colorado – but in the second it was a rare humiliation.
Won the must-win match
Avalanche won last time with an insane 7-0, and many have now perhaps thought that it would be a humiliation and maybe even a pure sweep with 4-0 in matches. But last night, Tampa got to play at home for the first time in the series, and with the knife to the throat, they showed both routine and class.
And Victor Hedman, the great army commander and leader in Tampa, stepped forward when it mattered most. So far during the final, he has been removed by an effective Colorado forecheck, but last night he did just about everything right, and he was just as good as everyone got used to. Hedman was noted for an ice age of over 24 minutes, and he also accounted for two points.
Two points tonight
Both were performances in the second period, to the goals that meant 5-2 and 6-2. Exactly 6-2 was also the final result and Tampa thus reduced the match series to 2-1, and they shook life in the final, which now looks to be as exciting and even as many had hoped for.
And that Victor Hedman stepped forward and played good hockey last night is not entirely unimportant. When Victor Hedman is good, then Tampa is good – and continued great play from the Swedish star is completely instrumental for Lightning to have a chance at a historic, third straight victory. The next match between the teams will be played during the night towards Thursday.
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