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Chisel the epitaph of the Tampa Bay Lightning at your peril.
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Their lengthy faces after Recreation 3 blew up on them aren’t prone to carry into Monday, one other Amalie Enviornment dwelling recreation by the way in which. They’re trailing Toronto 2- within the collection, not precisely an untenable place for a workforce with three straight Stanley Cup remaining appearances.
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Within the Steven Stamkos-Victor Hedman period, the Bolts have been behind 2-1 in a best-of-seven collection eight instances and recovered to win 4, together with final 12 months towards the Leafs.
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5 causes to not cancel Recreation 6 journey reservations again to the Gulf:
Playoff-savvy Bolts have been right here earlier than
Hedman thinks that playoff legacy, a part of 13 collection Tampa has come by means of the previous 4 years, will likely be a playoff pay-off.
“There are guys in that room who’ve been there a really very long time and guys who’ve by no means been on this state of affairs earlier than.” he stated in a Zoom name Sunday because the Bolts rested.
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“We had a extremely good chat after the sport. They’re all on board, hopefully they really feel that we (veterans) are calm they usually can fall in line with regards to that.”
Rookie defencemen Darren Raddysh and Nick Perbix haven’t been overwhelmed within the collection.
“It doesn’t seem like that is their first rodeo within the NHL,” Hedman stated approvingly of the 2 home-grown blueliners. “They’ve match proper in. Huge objective by Raddy (the go-ahead strike in Recreation 3) and Perby doesn’t appear to be bothered by being on the largest stage in hockey.”
Coach Jon Cooper has labored a number of new gamers in because the 2020 Cup, a part of a profitable tradition a lot deeper than the Leafs.
“Together with myself, we’ve all been by means of this and extra,” Cooper stated. “Raddysh has been within the group, (Michael) Eyssimont, (Tanner) Jeannot are new, however the different guys know the way we roll they usually observe our leaders.
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“All these guys play for one another and that’s an enormous factor of what we do. You don’t have that, you in all probability received’t be right here very lengthy.”
Brayden Level remains to be a go
Whereas Cooper expressed concern Level’s rib or higher physique harm from Saturday’s collision would possibly but sideline him Monday, the speedy sniper did come again from the controversial play with Leaf Morgan Rielly.
“It seemed terrible,” Cooper stated. “Regardless if it’s Brayden, that’s a tricky visible. Morgan, I do know personally, he’s not a unclean participant, (however) was the incident reckless? For certain.
“Level (will get examined by medics), however as a result of he’s such a tricky child while you see that, you’re considering the worst. So many precautions went on, so the very fact he got here again was wonderful. He went by means of so many alternative assessments, he was struggling, little doubt.
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“I don’t know the way he’s going to really feel (Monday) but it surely seemed like he was in a automobile accident the way in which he went into that wall.
A extremely scary state of affairs and hopefully he’s okay to play tomorrow.”
Cooper has not misplaced his present of glib
Introduced with Sheldon Keefe’s rant about how the Lightning “manipulated” the referees into taking out key Leafs Auston Matthews and Ryan O’Reilly within the scrum after Rielly’s hit, Cooper went into lawyer mode, his first profession alternative.
“Manipulated?,” a bemused Cooper stated. “I’m undecided what which means.
“When that hit occurred, everyone watching at dwelling and within the constructing, together with us, thought we had been happening the facility play (for 2 and perhaps 5 minutes).
“Our two finest energy play guys (Nikita Kucherov and Stamkos) I don’t assume would ever take themselves off an influence play except they thought one thing unjust occurred. Matthews doesn’t kill penalties (so) that really labored towards us. We ended up being short-handed.”
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Hedman is wholesome once more
No matter ailment stored ‘The Viking’ out of Recreation 2 and far of the opener, didn’t seem like it hampered him Saturday. He performed 32:35, second solely within the recreation to teammate Mikhail Sergachev’s 37:27.
“It’s the more serious feeling not being on the market,” Hedman stated. “That is the time of 12 months you need to be in these sorts of video games. I felt fairly good (however) I count on extra out of myself. “We’ve the depth, however on the similar time, it’s nerve-wracking not having the ability to contribute.”
Defenceman Erik Cernak, out since Michael Bunting’s head shot in Recreation 1, will miss Monday, although the two-day break within the collection that follows would possibly assist a number of bruised gamers on either side.
Vasilevskiy nonetheless has 100 extra playoff begins than Samsonov
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Although it’s the second straight collection the Leafs have rattled him, the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner has rather more to contribute.
“He’s the person,” Cooper stated. “That child, we’re nowhere with out him, he’s the perfect on this planet.
“The one factor about him, he will get stronger because the collection goes on and I see that in him. It’s good to have him again there.”
ICE CHIPS
Hockey Evening In Canada listed the Matthews-Stamkos struggle as the primary time two 60-goal scorers had fought in league historical past … Keefe now has 10 playoff recreation wins, two greater than predecessor Mike Babcock, although neither received a Toronto collection but … Cooper continues to marvel at Jeannot making it again from a gruesome-looking leg harm within the waning days of the common schedule. “I’m shocked, everybody thought it was season ending. He’s fought his approach again. However while you’re off and never allowed to skate, the exhausting half is to maintain your self sharp. From a compete standpoint and physicality, he’s been excellent, he’s simply slowly ready to get his fingers again (lacking a few Recreation 3 possibilities.”
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