Sid "The Kid" makes breaking away from four defenders look easy. Anton Stralman really had no chance after Crosby caught him flat footed and wheeled it around him. Vasilevskiy is just the perfect amount of sad after this goal, because right around here is when you could tell this one was going to game seven. Crosby has 15 points this postseason, which is his most since his 2012-13 playoff campaign, but the franchise forward registers a -2 plus/minus rating and this could be a factor in deciding the Prince of Wales Trophy winner. There are a lot of storylines heading into this decisive final game. Will Steven Stamkos return to the lineup after blood clot surgery? Will Drouin be able to keep producing points for the Lightning? Will we see any goaltending changes. Matt Murray was shoved back into the net after the Penguins decided to start former #1 overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft Marc-Andre Fleury. In game five Fleury saved 21 shots on 25 opportunities and lost to the Lightning 4-3. Murray, who celebrates his 22nd birthday, May 25th, was handed back his starting role and did not look back during game six saving 28 shots on 30 attempts. "He plays like he's 30," Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist said referring to Matt Murray when asked about his birthday, and that veteran prowess is showing with this hot goaltender, and the Penguins players believe in him. Well, maybe Phil Kessel doesn't believe in Murray because he is scoring goals on him. This is pretty impressive for Kessel because on his two goals in game six he smacked the puck out of mid air. Unfortunately for him one of his goals was on his own net.
This has been an interesting series for sure, and you have to admire the Lightning for playing so well without franchise center Stamkos, and Vezina Trophy Finalist Ben Bishop. Those injuries may be too much going into the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals as there game six loss looked to be deflating for this team. We'll see how much energy they come out with at the start of game seven.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |