Stanley Cup final: Lightning-Avalanche Game 2 live updates
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The Avalanche scored three first-period goals and rolled to a 7-0 victory over the Lightning in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver.
Valeri Nichurshkin and Cale Makar each scored two goals as Colorado’s speed overwhelmed Tampa Bay from the start.
The Avalanche lead the series 2-0 heading to Game 3 Monday at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The Lightning will need victories in four of the final five games to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
Nichurshkin, Josh Manson and Andre Burakovsky scored in the first period, as the Avalanche jumped out to a 3-0 lead, giving them a total of six first-period goals over the first two games of the series.
Darren Helm’s goal with 3:34 left in the second put the Avalanche up 5-0. Makar added two goals, including a shorthanded score, in the third.
The seven goals were the most Vasilevskiy has allowed in any game in his career, postseason or regular season. He made 24 saves on 31 shots.
Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped all 17 shots he faced to record the shutout.
Here’s how it happened:
Third period
Andrei Vasilevskiy remains in net for the Lightning
Mikko Rantanen penalized for tripping Steven Stamkos
Darren Helm clears the puck out of the Avalanche zone
Stamkos one-timer blocked by Stamkos
Cale Makar sweeps puck off the goal line after Stamkos shot
AVALANCHE GOAL: Makar scores shorthanded. Avalanche 6, Lightning 0.
Zach Bogosian down on the ice after getting hit on inside of left arm with Erik Johnson one-timer
Ondrej Palat penalized for cross-checking Cale Makar
AVALANCHE GOAL: Cale Makar scores on the power play. Avalanche 7, Lightning 0.
Lightning come away with a power play after a scrum along the boards (4:22 left)
Sergachev shot deflected wide
Avalanche kill the penalty
(Avalanche win 7-0, take 2-0 series lead)
Second period
Brayden Point now skating on a line with Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli
Josh Mason wrist shot saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy
Valeri Nichushkin wrist shot saved by Vasileveskiy
Manson shot hits the post from right point
AVALANCHE GOAL: Ondrej Palat turnover behind Lightning net leads to Nichushkin goal. Avalanche 4. Lightning 0 (4:51)
Jack Johnson penalized for hooking Anthony Cirelli, Lightning get their first power play
Lightning offside, so faceoff will move out of the offensive zone
Burakovsky leads the Avalanche bench after a cross-ice pass hit him in the thumb
Victor Hedman ices the puck
Brayden Point deflection through Palat’s legs saved by Darcy Kuemper
Hedman shot from center point saved by Kuemper
Mikhail Sergachev shot from right circle saved by Kuemper
Avalanche kill the penalty
Johnson deflection saved by Vasilevskiy
Kucherov bad-angle shot goes into the opposite corner
Pat Maroon lifts Nico Sturm’s stick on 2-on-1 opportunity
Josh Manson slams Ryan McDonagh up against the wall
Vasilevskiy stretches to make a glove save on Nichushkin backhander from in close (5:40 left in period)
Manson wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy
AVALANCHE GOAL: Darren Helm scores from the left circle, beating Vasilevskiy on the glove side. Avalanche 5, Lightning 0.
Logan O’Connor breakaway stopped by Vasilevskiy
Vasilevskiy turns away Andrew Cogliano tip of Manson shot
Manson shot blocked by Sergachev
Perry (roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct) and Compher (hooking) penalized after Perry and Compher wrestle in the Colorado net, putting the Avs on the power play
Cale Makar shot from the point goes off Vasilevskiy up into the netting
Makar shot wide of the net
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare shot from the left side gloved by Kuemper
Nichushkin slap slot from left circle saved by Vasilevskiy
Lightning kill the penalty
(Avalanche lead 5-0 after two periods)
First period
Valeri Nichushkin backhander saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy
Erik Johnson shot blocked by Brandon Hagel
Ryan McDonagh penalized for roughing J.T. Compher
Mikko Rantanen wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy
Nathan MacKinnon shot off the rush wide of the net
Cale Makar shot goes off Vasilevskiy’s right pad
Anthony Cirelli clears the puck out of the zone
AVALANCHE GOAL: Nichushkin scores on a tip-in from the low slot on the power play after Andre Burakovsky seam pass from the right circle. Avalanche 1, Lightning 0 (2:54).
Gabriel Landeskog shot blocked by Erik Cernak
Rantanen backhander saved by Vasileveskiy
AVALANCHE GOAL: Josh Manson scores on a 2-on-1. Erik Cernak drops to the ice to take away the pass, but Manson beats Vasileveskiy cleanly. Avalanche 2, Lightning 0 (7:55).
Mikhail Sergachev penalized for delay of game after shooting the puck out of play from the defensive zone
Rantanen shot from the high slot deflected into the corner, and Lightning clear the puck
Nathan MacKinnon shot-pass to the right post goes over Landeskog’s stick
Anthony Cirelli clears the puck out of the zone
Alex Newhook shot from right circle blocked out of play by Victor Hedman
Newhook one-timer from left circle blocked by Jan Rutta
Lightning kill the penalty
Nick Paul snap shot saved by Darcy Kuemper
Mikhail Sergachev shot blocked by Logan O’Connor
Bowen Byram shot blocked by McDonagh
Landeskog shot wide of the net
Landeskog tips MacKinnon shot wide
AVALANCHE GOAL: Burakovsky scores on a rebound of a Rantanen shot into a wide-open net. Avalanche 3, Lightning 0. (13:52)
Corey Perry penalized for roughing Darcy Kuemper, Kuemper penalized for holding Perry’s stick, so we’ll have 4 on 4 for two minutes (3:48 to play in the period)
McDonagh misses wide with shot from slot
MacKinnon shot from right circle saved by Vasilevskiy
Hedman shot blocked by Landeskog
Darren Helm shot from slot saved by Vasilevskiy
Back to 5-on-5 play
Burakovsky shot deflects off Vasilevskiy’s blocker on breakaway attempt
(Avalanche lead 3-0 after one period)
Pregame scouting report
It wasn’t all bad.
Yes, the Avalanche appeared to be the quicker team in the early going, Andrei Vasilevskiy let in a couple of goals on shots he ordinarily might have stopped and the Lightning dropped Game 1 Wednesday in Denver to fall behind in the Stanley Cup final.
But the Bolts showed after the first 10 minutes that they can skate with the Avs, their goaltender quickly regained his form and Tampa Bay came back to tie the game before losing on an Andre Burakovsky goal in overtime.
The best part? No team is better at making game-to-game adjustments than the Lightning.
We saw it earlier this postseason, when Tampa Bay fell behind 2-1 (and 3-2) to Toronto and 2-0 to New York before rallying to win both series. Once they cleaned up their puck-handling, simplified their zone entries and committed to team defense, there was no question about who was the better team on the ice.
Vasilevskiy, who appeared shaky at the start of both series, figured out how the Maple Leafs and Rangers were attacking him and, with the help of his defense, got back to being the best goaltender in the world.
While the adjustments differ slightly from one series to the next, the Lightning have shown an uncanny ability to consistently adapt and advance over the past three postseasons, as evidenced by their 18-1 record in games immediately following a loss.
Can Tampa Bay step up its game against a Colorado team that isn’t only fast, skilled and deep, but will be making adjustments of its own, as well?
We’ll get our first answer tonight as Tampa Bay aims to bounce back from its Game 1 loss and even the series at one game apiece before it heads to Tampa for Games 3 and 4 Monday and Wednesday at Amalie Arena.
Game night scene
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