Sidney Crosby scored the GWG less than a minute into OT. It’s easy to understand why Vas wasn’t ready, but throughout the game he made numerous better saves, so he should have made that one. The Lightning didn’t even have a chance.
Anton Stralman returns. Anton Stralman scores. It’s easy to understand why Stralman is so important to the Lightning, because having a strong defense is incredibly important to playoff success – look at the Western Conference Final. Hedman was the threat coming into the game, at least from the Penguins perspective, but now that there are two (or three, depending upon how you look at Jason Garrison or Andrej Sustr) powerful defensemen on this team. The defensive pairing of Stralman-Hedman may be the best in the playoffs, and that may be Sidney Crosby’s last goal in this series.
On the offensive side of health concerns for the Lightning, Stamkos has been progressing rapidly – he may be in for game 4 – but has been playing with the fourth line. While it’s understandable that Yzerman may be looking towards a bright future without the captain, the fourth line is not where Stamkos belongs. If the triplets are kept together, they will continue to make up a fine first line. Being able to put Stamkos at the second line with Filppula and Drouin will make two potent lines, especially verse a Penguins team reliant upon four defensemen. Being able to put either Palat or Killorn on the third makes the depth that much stronger as well, and this team becomes dominant.
On the Penguins side, this is a victory that they need to study. It was a close game, but close games are a dime a dozen in the playoffs. If they can use this to take the momentum going into Tampa, and walk away with at least one game, they could be looking at a strong showing in this series, one in which, if the Lightning improve as much as they could, they wouldn’t be able to hold a torch. A Lightning team with a healthy Ben Bishop and Steven Stamkos is a thing to be fought valiantly and then give in to. It’s not a team one can win against, unless you are the modern day dynasty and one of the best teams of all time.
This was a game where all goals (til OT) were scored in the first half of the game and for the rest of the game it was a goalie clinic and and a series of fortunate/unfortunate (depending on the team looking at it) bounces. Killorn’s shot hit the post. Vas made several huge saves. On the other side of the ice, Murray stepped up as well. It wasn’t as high scoring a game as these two teams would suggest, and in the end the Penguins depth won – the Kessel line scored, and so did the fourth line for the Penguins – Matt Cullen was instrumental, and Fehr got it past.
Drouin and Filppula are talented, and they have chemistry together. Imagine what could happen when Stamkos is flying down the ice on the other side.