Resurgence falls short after Jack Campbell shuts down Bolts offense in final frame of Game 3 to steal a win on the road to lead series 2-1. After an abysmal first period it seemed all hope was lost. Lightning never gave up and nearly crawled back until Toronto’s defense shut the door late in the game to take Game 3 on the road.
Rough start
To start off, the physical play seen in the first two games carried over into Game 3. In the early minutes of the game Toronto received the first power play of the night after Pat Maroon was called for delay of game. Lightning for the most part did a good job on the penalty kill until the final seconds. Unfortunately, Maple Leafs scored just as the power play was set to expire to take the 1-0 lead. Afterwards, Lightning went on the attack quickly in hopes of answering back the Morgan Rielly goal. Soon after, Tampa then would get their chance on the power play due to a Hi-sticking call. However, Tampa struggled with puck control and could not get anything going on the man advantage. Nightmare start continued for the Lightning as Toronto extended the lead on an open net opportunity.
Maple Leafs maintain control
Colin Blackwell gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead and soon after the goal went on the power play yet again. Fortunately, Tampa was able to kill off this penalty and nearly scored as the power play expired. Toronto kept the momentum going keeping constant pressure on the Lightning defense. Maple Leafs continued to be disciplined with their play which allowed them to control the flow. Later in the period Tampa’s offense started to show life but could not cut Toronto’s lead. Tempers continued to flare as the period came to a close. Following, Toronto was awarded a power play after a rouging call to start the second period.
Lightning score on man advantage
To begin the period Tampa again did a good job to kill off the penalty but would have to fight off yet another penalty. Net, Ryan McDonagh was called for delay of game with 25 seconds left in the Cernak penalty. After, Lightning’s penalty kill got the job done again preventing the Leafs from adding to their lead. Bolts offense remained aggressive searching for their first goal to get back into the game. Toronto kept the nightmare going with a goal from David Kampf for the 3-0 lead. Midway through the period Tampa went on the power play for only the second time this game. Finally, Lightning get on the scoring board on the man advantage. Ross Colton’s power play goal gave desperate life to the offense cutting the Leafs lead 3-1 in the process.
Showing improvement
The 7th penalty of the game was called this one being the fifth on the Lightning. Penalty kill remained stellar but the issue has been recovering from being down a man. This time Tampa slowly began to tilt the ice and played as if they were facing elimination. Colton nearly scored again but the puck hit iron instead of the back of the net. Remainder of the period remained scoreless, but this was the best the Lightning have played all night. Could resurgence be on the horizon for the Lightning?
Resurgence on the horizon?
Tampa’s offense wasted no time getting the offense rolling to begin the third period. Constant pressure was applied, but Jack Campbell remained sturdy in net. Around 15 minutes to go both teams exchange prime scoring chances but could not score. Afterwards, Ondrej Palat took advantage of the screen in front and scored short side to cut the lead 3-2. The comeback looked more realistic as momentum shifted in favor of Tampa. Then, with 7:41 to go Lightning would go on their most important power play of the night. Toronto went on to kill off the penalty with time winding down in the period.
Pally brings us within one! pic.twitter.com/eAiEcdG3T3
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) May 7, 2022
Empty net goals seal the deal
Campbell made a tremendous save on a Steven Stamkos snipe to prevent the tying goal from going in. Lightning were unable to score on the power play thanks to Campbell making key saves while under heavy pressure. With 2 minutes to go the Lightning pulled Andrei Vasilevskiy to get the extra attacker on the ice. As a result, Toronto ended up scoring on the empty net to regain a 2 goal lead. All in all, Campbell’s amazing play in the 3rd period halted the hopeful resurgence of the Lightning offense. Maple Leafs went on to win the game 5-2 and take a 2-1 series lead.
Three Stars of the Night
1st Star: Jack Campbell – Saved 34 of 36 shots faced
2nd Star: Ondrej Palat – 1 goal and 1 assist
3rd Star: Mitch Marner – 1 assist
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