Shrinking champions against Colorado
Tampa. An avalanche hit Denver last week, but last night lightning struck Tampa again.
The defending champion reduced the ongoing Stanley Cup Final with a rating close to the victory he suffered last Saturday.
“It wasn’t an indispensable match but I almost did and I’m very happy with the way we handled the situation,” Victor Heidmann told Sportbladet after the 6-2 win.
After the first match, and above all, the second match in hockey’s holiest settlement, you could almost feel that feeling Colorado Avalanche will come to sweep Tampa Bay Lightning In four in a row.
They were completely superior in almost every respect and the double champions had no answers to the opponents’ violent speed, diligent verification by them and their amazing skills.
– But it is important to be the first to get four victories and not two victories, says Victor Hedmann when we meet him in the catacombs in the hall of the house.
We’ve been through this situation before and we never panicked. But we are also critical of ourselves, as individuals and as a team. So we knew we needed to play better in the future.
And that was exactly what they did in the third night’s duel.
He came out as a completely different team
Avalanche certainly took the lead again, with the first two goals played by Gabriel Landskog of the evening. But it wasn’t enough to break Blue and White this time.
They performed with a completely different determination than Denver, constantly challenging Avs goalkeeper Darcy Comber, turning already in the opening period and eventually winning 6-2.
“I especially think we were better with the disc in this match, we didn’t give them many free positions and two-to-one positions,” continues Vig, who himself was responsible for two assists and got a clean shot into the post at the end.
– They’re very fast and skilled, but if we can eliminate those impulses, I’d love our chances.
Victor Hedman satisfied
In addition, they challenged Darcy Comber in a completely different way – which eventually led to him being replaced at the end of the second period.
– Yes, we felt we needed to put pressure on him and it paid off, says the back star from Ö-vik.
With Tampa’s convincing win, it’s clear it’s going to be a real streak even in this year’s final.
It wasn’t an indispensable match but I was almost very happy with the way we handled the situation. Now, like I said, it’s a chain, Victor agrees.
– But that doesn’t mean we can just throw clubs in the next match. We need another shot and I feel like we have more in us.
That game — the fourth in the series — will be decided in Tampa on Thursday night.