Stanley Cup Playoffs takeaways: Unlikely heroes help Panthers shift momentum

Sometimes, all you need is one shot. That was the case for Ryan Lomberg on Thursday night. The only Florida Panthers skater held without a shot on goal through 65:55 of fast-paced hockey against the Tampa Bay Lightning made good when he finally got his chance 5:56 into overtime of Game 3, zipping past Victor Hedman and scoring a breakaway beauty to give Florida its first win of the series — and the franchise’s first playoff victory since the spring of 2016.

While the usual suspects contributed to Florida’s 6-5 win — Jonathan Huberdeau assisted on three of Florida’s goals — this victory was thanks to a few unlikely heroes. In addition to Lomberg and Gustav Forsling, scorer of the game-tying goal late in regulation, defenceman Radko Gudas also stood out in this one. His first-period goal and tone-setting physical presence made him one of the game’s best players, and his ability to secure possession off the faceoff deep in the Panthers’ zone and tee up Lomberg’s breakaway in overtime was the difference-maker on Thursday night, getting Florida on the board in this series that’s now 2-1 in Tampa’s favour.

The other (accidental) star of the game for Florida… Tampa’s in-arena audio technician?

But, let’s back up for a minute and start from the beginning of this game, which was yet another eventful, back-and-forth affair that’s got most of us wishing for four more games of it.

Down 2-0 in the first-round series and treading into must-win territory in Tampa Bay, the Panthers got off to a hot start as The Sunshine State series shifted over to Amalie Arena. Two quick first-period goals — the first, a make-good goal by Sam Bennett after he was suspended for Game 2 — had the Panthers up 2-0 and looking in control.

And then the second period happened:

A list of the six goals in Game 3 between the Panthers and Lightning, featuring five goals by Tampa Bay.

Five goals for Tampa Bay, including a pair of power-play markers, chased goaltender Chris Driedger out of the crease and set a franchise record for most goals in single period of a playoff game.

But if there’s been one consistent theme in this series so far, it’s that no lead lasts for long. A killed penalty, a power-play marker and a second unanswered goal in the third saw the Panthers rally back, and Lomberg’s winner handed Tampa Bay a little piece of history they’d rather not hold: as noted by the game’s broadcast crew, this is just the third time in league post-season history that a team has scored five goals in a single period and still lost the game.

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Bobrovsky’s back… and here to stay?

The Panthers’ crease has been the subject of much intrigue all season, and that hasn’t changed in the playoffs. Head coach Joel Quenneville gave veteran Sergei Bobrovsky the Game 1 start, but opted for a new netminder in Game 2 — a decision he noted was not an indictment on Bobrovsky’s performance in the series-opener. Despite his Game 2 loss, Coach Q stuck with Driedger, who’s had the better numbers all season long for Florida, to start the third game. But those five second-period goals for Tampa Bay were enough to prompt the bench boss to hand the keys back to Bobrovsky, who was perfect in the final frame of the game and in overtime.

Bobrovsky, of course, was in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets the last time Tampa Bay hosted a playoff game at home back in 2019. He stumbled early on there, too, but ultimately kept the crease and won the series. A different team and a different situation this time around, but… could be a story line to watch as the series continues.

Physical third period ups the drama on Long Island

The drama in Game 3 hit its peak in the third period of Pittsburgh Penguins–New York Islanders on Thursday. To show the full list of penalties issued in the third, you’d need to do some scrolling. Five minutes into the third period, a full-on brawl broke out, with referees doling out 22 minutes’ worth of penalties and filling the penalty boxes with two full lines.

Vintage Carter grabbing hold of Penguins-Islanders series

Even though the Penguins made no secret of their search for a centre at the deadline, their acquisition of Jeff Carter from the Kings still came as a bit of a surprise.

Was the 36-year-old veteran, four seasons removed from his 60-plus point seasons, really the answer?

Yes. The answer is yes.

Carter’s impact in this first-round series has been remarkable: He assisted on the game-tying goal to force overtime in Game 1, scored the eventual game-winner in Game 2, and on Thursday night he tallied two markers (including one on the power play) to help propel the Penguins to the 5-4 win and take a 2-1 series lead.

This pretty much sums it up:

Carter’s not the only Penguin making us feel like it’s 2016. Defenceman Kris Letang has been playing some incredible hockey, too, and that was on full display Thursday with a goal and two assists (including a helper on the OT winner) while logging a team-leading 24:20 of ice time.

Without pal Pacioretty, Stone takes matter into his own hands for Vegas

With the series tied 1-1, one of the biggest takeaways for the Vegas Golden Knights up to this point has been how much this lineup misses Max Pacioretty. After being shut out in Sunday’s 1-0 overtime chess match, things looked a bit brighter offensively with Tuesday’s 3-1 win. But, down 2-0 after the first period on Thursday night, it looked like those Pacioretty-less offensive woes were doomed to return.

Then, as if someone flipped a switch, the Golden Knights’ offence turned on. Three second-period goals, followed by two more in the third for five unanswered markers, gave the Golden Knights the 5-2 victory to go up 2-1 in the series. They outshot Minnesota 40-16 by game’s end. Vegas’ first and last goal of the night came from captain Mark Stone, his first goals of these playoffs after failing to get on the board without Pacioretty.

So, will Pacioretty be back for Game 4? Both he and Tomas Nosek have been listed as game-time decisions for Vegas ahead of each playoff game so far, so we know they’re close. But we’ll likely have to wait until Sunday to see if Stone will have his old pal back.

Fleury stays hot

The other big takeaway for Vegas? How well Marc-Andre Fleury is playing. Fleury’s remarkable 2020-21 season continued Thursday with a strong performance in the 5-2 win. While his workload was a little lighter in Game 3, facing just 16 shots, he did have to make some pretty stellar (and sneaky) saves.

Thursday’s victory marked the 12th consecutive game that Fleury has let in two or fewer goals, a streak that dates back to April 11.

Eriksson Ek building off of breakout campaign

Fleury has let in just four goals in three games against the Wild, and two of them have come off the stick of Joel Eriksson Ek — and it would’ve been three, had his second goal on Thursday night not been called back due to an offside challenge.

Eriksson Ek has been a force in this series, continuing his breakout success this year that saw him tally 10 goals and 30 points in 56 regular-season games. He scored the OT winner in Game 1, and proved dangerous again on Thursday as one of the lone Wild skaters who’s found success on the scoreboard so far in this post-season.