TAMPA, Fla. — On the evening of American Pharoah’s Triple Crown victory, the Chicago Blackhawks failed to stride one step closer to their third crown in six springs.
Still, Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final delivered the feel of a horserace: changing leads, a breakneck tempo, and possibly an odds-altering injury.
“The fastest pace I’ve played in my career out there,” Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said after his club’s crucial 4-3 win Saturday night before the series shifts to Chicago.
Here are 13 things we learned from a thriller at Amalie Arena.
1. Bish leaves
Ben Bishop departed his net and headed to the dressing room in the final period, getting replaced by seldom-used backup Andrei Vasilevskiy, who became the goalie of record when Tampa’s Jason Garrison scored the power play winner. Bishop returned briefly, then left again for good.
Roberto Luongo fired off a Twitter gem when he saw his fellow Florida No. 1 leave the crease:
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— Strombone (@strombone1) June 7, 2015
But it’s not funny for Lightning fans. Bishop’s absence from the 2014 playoffs due to injury resulted in zero wins, and with the goaltender’s health in doubt for Game 3—TVA is speculating a knee injury based on an Antoine Vermette collision, and Coach Cooper is keeping mum—the Cup could ride on Vasilevskiy.
“Every game I’m just ready, and if Coach tell me to go in, I go in. That’s it,” said the 20-year-old Russian.
2. Jonathan Drouin made his Stanley Cup final debut, but it wasn’t exactly mistake-free
The Lightning’s still-developing, 20-year-old shooter got his wish and drew into the lineup Saturday for the first time in a month, making just his fourth playoff appearance, at the expense of defenceman Nikita Nesterov.
He came out flying,” coach Jon Cooper said. “The adrenaline, all that stuff, he was really fired up.”
Though Drouin dazzled in his first shift, wasting no time firing two shots on net, his exuberance got the better of him on a reckless giveaway to Jonathan Toews – and he heard it from Coach Cooper. Think Drouin, who played a team-low 7:52, gets another look in this series?
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/607337160748974080
3. The Lightning’s ability to respond after a loss is something, boy
Cedric Paquette told us going in that Tampa was going to play its best game of the year Saturday, and it was damn fine. The Lightning are now 8-1 in games following a loss this post-season. To a man, they continually remind their questioners how confident they are. Maybe it’s time to start believing.
“The spirit is very high right now,” my cab driver told me of the city’s “ice hockey” team. “They think they can move a mountain.”
4. Sweet Amalie, that first period was fun
Jonathan Toews said Saturday the Blackhawks had to redeem themselves after Game 1 – yes, they were seeking redemption after a victory. And both clubs came out the doors ablaze, frothing up a fast, edgy pace of play and firing 23 combined shots. Tyler Johnson, whose health has been questioned, rang a post. Brandon Saad got stoned by Ben Bishop on a two-on-one. And the goal-horn guy had a false alarm.
And that was the period with the fewest goals.
5. Paquette is still getting the better of Jonathan Toews
Though Jonathan Toews helped set up Brent Seabrook’s controversial goal in the third frame, Paquette did another excellent job limiting the captain’s chances.
Paquette also opened the scoring with an unassisted snipe, as the Lightning finally found its secondary scoring.
“He’d have big shoes to fill following Ryan Kesler,” Toews said after Saturday’s morning skate, chiding the pest-in-progress. True, but so far he’s up to the task.
“He’s been given an assignment and he’s done one heck of a job,” Cooper said. “I was thrilled when he scored tonight.”
6. The Bolts’ secondary scoring drought is over
With the Triplets and the Steven Stamkos line carrying all the weight for the Lightning in these playoffs, Paquette’s opener and Jason Garrison’s winner proved a double-shot of relief.
“Any team that wins seems to have that unsung hero, unsung line,” veteran Brenden Morrow had said Friday. “Two lines scoring: It’s worked to get us here, but we’re playing with fire every game expecting them to score for us.”
7. The Lightning’s public shaming of penalized Blackhawks is brilliant
Whenever a Chicago Blackhawk goes to the box, an inset live feed of the penalized player is displayed on Amalie Arena’s gigantic scoreboard to all to see his angry face. This lasts for the entire two minutes or less. Wonderful, especially if you like seeing Patrick Sharp drink water and flick ice off his blade. Am I right, ladies?
Sharp committed careless back-to-back stick minors in the third period, the latter giving way to the winner.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that before,” said an apologetic Sharp, refusing to blame the refs. “Taking two quick penalties like that puts a lot of stress on our penalty kill, and they were able to capitalize.”
8. Teuvo Teravainen does the opposite of what he says
“I might not score today,” the media-shy Teravainen said hours before puck drop. “I’ll let the other guys score today and answer the questions.”
Then he went out and got his fourth of the playoffs, giving Chicago a temporary lead.
9. The Triplets are back. (Really? Were they gone?)
Nikita Kucherov executed the best backhanded tip we’ve seen in three days, and Tyler Johnson, the playoffs’ leading goal-getter, snapped a five-game drought and passed Chicago’s Brad Richards for the most playoff goals in franchise history (13).
10. Splitting Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews paid off
In the third period, coach Joel Quenneville moved Patrick Kane (zero shots, minus-1) to the Brad Richards line and bumped Marian Hossa up with Toews. Hossa screened/interfered with Bishop, and Toews got on the score sheet for the first time all series.
11. Wait. There’s two Astronaut Guys?
Hmmm… I wonder if this costs extra?
12. The Lightning love their retro hockey video games
First it was Blades of Steel. Saturday it was Ice Hockey, the 1988 game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, projected onto the ice during the second intermission:
13. Joel Quenneville channeled his inner Randy Carlyle
