Lightning bounce back, trounce Avalanche in Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final
Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli scores against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper during Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final, June 20, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. With Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy leading the way, the star-laden, two-time defending champions beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 Monday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each had a goal and an assist, and the Lightning scored four times in the second period to bounce back from an embarrassing 7-0 loss in Game 2 of the best-of-seven matchup. Stamkos, Paul, Maroon and Perry scored in the second period, when the Lightning chased Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper while pulling away.
Two nights after being limited to just 16 shots in the seven-goal loss in Denver, the Lightning found a way to neutralize Colorado’s speed and solve Kuemper to avoid falling to the brink of elimination. The back-to-back champions overcame a 2-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference final to eliminate the New York Rangers in six games. They’re looking to do it again against Colorado to complete their quest for the NHL’s first three-peat in nearly 40 years.