Post by Mike Corcoran
Desperation.
It is a word that has been used a lot in reference to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the past 48 hours. Whether it was that they needed to be more desperate or try to not be too desperate, it was a common theme for the Bolts heading into game 5, where they hoped to stay alive, trailing the Penguins 3-1 in the best of seven series.
If Saturday’s result was any indication, the Lightning found just the right amount of desperation, as they demolished the Penguins 8-2 at the Consol Energy Center, forcing the series back to Tampa on Monday for a game 6.
For the Lightning, there was plenty that went right in this one. After surviving the initial surge from the Penguins with key saves from netminder Dwayne Roloson, the Bolts got two quick goals from Simon Gagne and Steven Stamkos to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. For both players, it was their first goals of the postseason, and if the Lightning are able to win this series, those two finding the back of the net and getting going will have to play a huge role for the Lightning.
Into the second, the Lightning onslaught continued. Captain Vincent Lecavalier joined in on the fun when Steven Stamkos found him in front of the net. For Lecavalier it was his 2nd goal of the postseason. After Lecavalier’s goal, the same pair of goal scorers from the first period added to the offensive outpouring, as Gagne and Stamkos both once again found the back of the net to extend the Lightning lead to 5-0.
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2011.