Kevin Shattenkirk scored an OT goal that brought the Tampa Bay Lighting to just one win away from the Stanley Cup trophy. In a highly intense and interesting match, the Lightning beat Dallas Stars 5-4, posting its third straight of the series.
6:34 inside the overtime, Shattenkirk’s shot from the right face-off circle, ended behind Anton Khudobin. That was a sign for the start of a massive celebration among the Tampa Bay’s players.
Meanwhile, the Stars were more than unhappy with the outcome, as they had a player fewer in those moments. Jamie Benn was out due to a tripping penalty, but according to him and his teammates, that call of the referees was pretty questionable.
“Jamie breathes on him, and the guy falls over,” said Joe Pavelski, who didn’t hide his anger after the game.
His side was up 2-0 in the first period but managed to squander the lead in a very short period of time. John Klingberg made it 1-0 with 7:17 inside the first, while Pavelski doubled that advantage with 1:32 to go until the end of the same. At that point, everything seemed fine for the Western Conference champs.
Yet a first blow was just 59 seconds later, once Brayden Point cut their lead to 2-1, scoring with a backhand from a nearby. Lightning center was in the middle of attention once more, at 2:08 inside the middle frame. He managed to put the puck into the net after a crowd in front of the goal.
Corey Perry and Yanni Gourde traded goals until the end of the second, with Dallas’s forward being the one who scored first, and Gourde once again bringing back the tie.
Joe Pavelski on the penalty called on Jamie Benn in overtime. pic.twitter.com/XbPtuX0J3e
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) September 26, 2020
Tampa Bay took the lead 6:41 into the last sequence through Alex Killorn, but Pavelski responded on the other side, tying the result, at 11:35. Following this score, the teams were a bit more conservative, and they would try to protect themselves first and attack later.
In the end, the Lightning had more luck, with Shattenkirk delivering the final hit. After losing the opening match of the series, 1-4, and narrowly winning the second, it seems that Jon Cooper’s guys found their mojo, which is the reason why they seem confident even in the moments when things aren’t going as planned.
Game 5 is already this Saturday, at 8 pm ET, and we might see the crowning of the new NHL champions if Tampa Bay wins.