PITTSBURGH: Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison saw his shot deflect off a teammate’s back and into the net in the first minute of overtime to give the Lightning a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday and a 3-2 lead in their NHL Eastern Conference finals series.
A year after falling to Chicago in the Stanley Cup finals, Tampa Bay can head back to the championship round with a win in Game 6 at home on Tuesday.
Tyler Johnson, who received stitches and lost teeth when hit in the face by the puck during the warmup before Game 4, was again in the firing line of Garrison’s game-winning shot 53 seconds into overtime.
“I was just battling in front,” Johnson said. “I saw Garry starting to shoot it, thought he was going for my head again, so I turned around.”
The goal was credited to Johnson for his seventh goal of the playoffs. The Lightning are 12-1 in the past 13 postseason games in which Johnson has scored.
Tampa Bay came from 2-0 down and still trailed 3-2 in the third period but pulled off a vital road victory.
Nikita Kucherov scored twice to boost his postseason total to an NHL-best 11 — including a wraparound that beat Marc-Andre Fleury and tied the game 3-3 with just 3:16 left in regulation. Alex Killorn picked up his fifth of the playoffs as the Lightning handed the Penguins consecutive losses for the first time since January.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots while Fleury, who returned to the lineup for the first time in more than seven weeks after a concussion and the good form of his rookie replacement Matt Murray, finished with 21 saves, but couldn’t protect leads of 2-0 and 3-2.
“It wasn’t the best I have felt in a game,” Fleury said after his 100th playoff game. “Still, I have been practicing a lot, so I should have been better.”
Brian Dumoulin, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Penguins, who appeared to be in firm control at certain points but now find themselves on the brink of elimination.
“This is the first time we’ve been in this position,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know our guys will respond the right way. They have for four months, five months now.”
While the Penguins have peppered Vasilevskiy for the better part of five games, the Lightning keep finding ways to create quality chances around the Pittsburgh net, though Garrison’s flick toward Johnson might not exactly qualify.
“No shot’s a bad shot in overtime,” Garrison said with a laugh.
The Penguins blocked 22 shots before they even made it to the goal crease and continued their series-long dominance in creating pressure at the other end.
Dumoulin’s first goal in 17 months in the final second of the first period put Pittsburgh in front. Hornqvist’s tap-in off Carl Hagelin’s feed made it 2-0 just 90 seconds into the second.
Killorn drew Tampa Bay within a goal 13:15 into the second on a wrist shot from the left circle that went in and out of the goal so quickly play continued for a few seconds before referees pointed to the red goal light. Kucherov tied it 70 seconds later on an easy one-timer. Kunitz’s rebound with 1:30 left in the second gave the Penguins the lead again.
Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan saw a shot ring off the far post and along the goal line — but not across it — with 3:50 remaining in what appeared to have been the visitors’ last chance. But barely 30 seconds later, Kucherov was flying behind the Pittsburgh net to tie it.
A year after falling to Chicago in the Stanley Cup finals, Tampa Bay can head back to the championship round with a win in Game 6 at home on Tuesday.
Tyler Johnson, who received stitches and lost teeth when hit in the face by the puck during the warmup before Game 4, was again in the firing line of Garrison’s game-winning shot 53 seconds into overtime.
“I was just battling in front,” Johnson said. “I saw Garry starting to shoot it, thought he was going for my head again, so I turned around.”
The goal was credited to Johnson for his seventh goal of the playoffs. The Lightning are 12-1 in the past 13 postseason games in which Johnson has scored.
Tampa Bay came from 2-0 down and still trailed 3-2 in the third period but pulled off a vital road victory.
Nikita Kucherov scored twice to boost his postseason total to an NHL-best 11 — including a wraparound that beat Marc-Andre Fleury and tied the game 3-3 with just 3:16 left in regulation. Alex Killorn picked up his fifth of the playoffs as the Lightning handed the Penguins consecutive losses for the first time since January.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots while Fleury, who returned to the lineup for the first time in more than seven weeks after a concussion and the good form of his rookie replacement Matt Murray, finished with 21 saves, but couldn’t protect leads of 2-0 and 3-2.
“It wasn’t the best I have felt in a game,” Fleury said after his 100th playoff game. “Still, I have been practicing a lot, so I should have been better.”
Brian Dumoulin, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Penguins, who appeared to be in firm control at certain points but now find themselves on the brink of elimination.
“This is the first time we’ve been in this position,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know our guys will respond the right way. They have for four months, five months now.”
While the Penguins have peppered Vasilevskiy for the better part of five games, the Lightning keep finding ways to create quality chances around the Pittsburgh net, though Garrison’s flick toward Johnson might not exactly qualify.
“No shot’s a bad shot in overtime,” Garrison said with a laugh.
The Penguins blocked 22 shots before they even made it to the goal crease and continued their series-long dominance in creating pressure at the other end.
Dumoulin’s first goal in 17 months in the final second of the first period put Pittsburgh in front. Hornqvist’s tap-in off Carl Hagelin’s feed made it 2-0 just 90 seconds into the second.
Killorn drew Tampa Bay within a goal 13:15 into the second on a wrist shot from the left circle that went in and out of the goal so quickly play continued for a few seconds before referees pointed to the red goal light. Kucherov tied it 70 seconds later on an easy one-timer. Kunitz’s rebound with 1:30 left in the second gave the Penguins the lead again.
Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan saw a shot ring off the far post and along the goal line — but not across it — with 3:50 remaining in what appeared to have been the visitors’ last chance. But barely 30 seconds later, Kucherov was flying behind the Pittsburgh net to tie it.
