2022 Stanley Cup Final: Best moments, scenes and breakdown of Colorado Avalanche-Tampa Bay Lightning Game 3

7:57 PM ET

The reigning Stanley Cup champions is perhaps on the ropes. The Tampa Bay Lightning, winners of consecutive titles, return house, down 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche.

It is not simply the two-game deficit within the Stanley Cup Closing, it is how the Avalanche have gained. Colorado jumped out to early leads in each video games and, in Recreation 2, completely dominated Tampa. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, among the best postseason goalies in NHL historical past, was blitzed for seven objectives on Saturday.

The seven-goal margin in Recreation 2 is the most important shutout in a Cup Closing sport within the final 30 seasons, in line with ESPN Stats and Info. It was the third time on this postseason that Tampa had allowed 4 or extra objectives after not doing so in both of the earlier two postseasons.

“Does it suck shedding a sport like that? For certain,” Tampa coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “We’re not used to it. It does not actually occur to us.”

Vasilevskiy allowed 9 objectives within the first two video games of the Japanese Convention Finals in opposition to the New York Rangers and the Lightning nonetheless managed to win that collection. So there’s nonetheless hope.

Will the house ice make a distinction or will the Colorado scoring barrage proceed? We’ll discover out in Recreation 3.

Did any person say ‘hen parm’?

Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. John Buccigross and hen parm. The custom of groups presenting Buccigross with the meal continued forward of Recreation 3. The Lightning even acquired their mascot, ThunderBug concerned.

With a facet of fur only for @Buccigross 🤌 https://t.co/MMpSvWf4Gr pic.twitter.com/BPqyhMr9nA
— ThunderBug (@ThunderBugTBL) June 20, 2022

In case you wanted a greater look, our Greg Wyshynski has you coated.

ESPN Behind The Scenes: Getting ready the hen parm for ⁦@Buccigross⁩ on THE POINT, filmed in Tremendous Sauce Imaginative and prescient! pic.twitter.com/zr4uiiFYme
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 20, 2022

Tampa Bay is down however not out

Is the state of affairs supreme? Nope. Is the collection over? Removed from it. Will this Lightning hype video have Tampa Bay followers able to run by means of a wall earlier than puck drop? In all probability.