The reigning NHL champion Tampa Bay Lightning is one step closer to winning the second Stanley Cup in a row.
In the third match of the final series, the Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6: 3 on the road.
The second star of the meeting was the Russian forward of the guests Nikita Kucherov.
John Cooper's wards, who looked great throughout the series, again started the match very confidently and already in the fourth minute they took the lead with a score of 2: 0.
Kucherov took direct part in the second scoring attack, making a transfer to the blue line to Viktor Hedman, after which he made an irresistible shot at Carey Price's goal.
In the middle of the first period, the hosts managed to win back one goal through the efforts of Phillip Dano, but at the beginning of the second 20-minute, “Tampa” again increased its advantage. This time Kucherov became the author of the goal. The hosts lost the puck at the entrance to the zone, it was intercepted by Eric Cernak, gave a long pass to Ondřeja Palata, who shot at goal, and the Russian forward completed a swift counterattack with a throw from the far post.
Two minutes later, “Tampa” was already leading with a score of 4: 1, Tyler Johnson scored.
By the end of the second period, Montreal closed the score gap after a precise shot by Nick Suzuki.
Johnson scored again in the third game, with veteran Canadiens striker Corey Perry responding to the puck.
However, the owners did not have enough to recoup.
They removed the goalkeeper, and in the 57th minute of the meeting, Blake Coleman put an end to the match, throwing the sixth puck into Price's empty net.
Commenting on the result of the meeting, Johnson, who was recognized as the first star of the match, noted that the title of the current Stanley Cup winners motivates the team even more and makes them wish for a repeat of success.
“I really want to do it again.
It is not known how many of these chances will fall, and the proximity of the goal makes it very acutely felt.
Last year's victory made us want to win even more, and now we all feel the same way.
But we still have a lot to do.
We must win one more time.
The fourth victory is the most difficult, so we need to play the game at a very high level, ”Johnson quotes the official website of the NHL.
After this match, Kucherov gained 32 (8 + 24) points on the "goal + pass" system in the current playoffs, and he is confidently moving towards winning the title of the top scorer in the Stanley Cup.
Unable to distinguish himself in this match, Braden Point is nine points behind his team-mate.
The Russian striker continues to add to his list of achievements in the NHL from match to match.
He rose to sixth place among active hockey players in terms of playoff scoring.
In 111 matches, he managed to score 127 (44 + 83) points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby is the leader in this list (191 points in 174 meetings).
Now Kucherov is among the top 50 top scorers in Stanley Cup history, equaling this indicator with Patrick Marlowe, Ivan Cournoyer and Luc Robitaille.
The record belongs to Wayne Gretzky, who scored 382 points in 208 games.
Nikita also surpassed the result of Pavel Bure in the number of points in one playoff and moved up to fourth place among Russian players.
According to this indicator, the best domestic hockey player is Evgeny Malkin, who scored 36 points in 24 matches in 2009.
Despite the statistical achievements, the Russian is still modest and prefers to pay tribute to his Tampa partners.
“We all stick to the game plan and do our job.
And when everyone is doing their job, it's much easier to play.
We want to play correctly for all 60 minutes, which is what we are trying to do now, ”Kucherov explained.
It is worth noting the contribution to the third consecutive victory over Montreal and compatriot Kucherov, goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky.
Despite three missed goals, he provided the lightning with a reliable rear, reflecting 32 shots at his goal.
The Russian managed to repeat the achievement of 80 years ago, 11 times in a row taking over the Canadiens.
In 1939-41.
Toronto Maple Leafs goalkeeper Türk Brode did it.
In addition, Vasilevsky became the first European goalkeeper in NHL history to win eight Stanley Cup finals.
Already in the next meeting, Cooper's wards can put an end to the decisive series and re-win the Stanley Cup.
The last time the Penguins managed to do this was in 2016 and 2017.
In the event that Tampa win the next match, they will be the first team in 23 years to complete a final dry.
In 1998, this achievement was marked by the Detroit Red Wings in the series with the Washington Capitals.
We add that during the fourth match, which will be held on the night from Monday to Tuesday Moscow time at the Bell Center stadium in Montreal, the Stanley Cup will be in the arena.
This was announced on the official Twitter account of the trophy: "On Monday I will be in the building."
I'll be in the building on Monday.
- The Stanley Cup (@StanleyCup) July 3, 2021