EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored on his first shot since February, left with harm and the Tampa Bay Lightning saved dominating with out him, blowing the Dallas Stars out of an empty enviornment with a 5-2 rout in Sport Three of the Stanley Cup Closing on Wednesday night time to take the lead within the collection.

Despite the fact that he solely skated 5 shifts for two:47, the Lightning captain making his 2020 playoff debut 211 days after he final performed in an NHL recreation gave the Lightning a jolt. He made essentially the most of that point with a classic Stamkos objective going round Esa Lindell and sniping a shot previous Anton Khudobin.

Stamkos reveled in making an impression in a recreation, one thing he thought wasn’t attainable a month in the past.

”You need to have a say and also you need to contribute,” Stamkos stated. ”To be a part of it tonight, it was a dream come true.”

Stamkos skated off gingerly on the finish of his closing shift within the first interval and was not on the bench for the beginning of the second. He returned to the bench and took a number of twirls to check out the harm however didn’t return.

The Lightning have been simply high-quality with Stamkos providing ethical assist sitting in the midst of the bench.

They obtained targets from all three of their first-line forwards, their high defenseman and their captain and large saves from their Vezina Trophy finalist goaltender, whereas the Stars’ greatest gamers have been quiet as soon as once more or made huge errors to contribute to the loss. Nikita Kucherov, Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Level and Ondrej Palat all scored for Tampa Bay, which was the higher staff from the beginning of the second interval on.

”They made two good photographs early,” Stars captain Jamie Benn stated. ”They capitalized on their probabilities and we did not.”

Khudobin was underneath stress many of the night time and allowed 5 targets on 29 photographs earlier than coach Rick Bowness changed him firstly of the third with rookie Jake Oettinger. On the different finish, Andrei Vasilevskiy made a number of huge saves amongst his 31, together with an excellent left pad cease on Corey Perry early within the recreation.

The sport was all the things that has made Tampa Bay among the best groups in hockey for greater than half of the final decade. That included the return of Stamkos, the Lightning’s chief who has been compelled to observe whereas rehabbing a core muscle harm.

”He is a menace, so he is simply one other factor for a staff to consider when he is on the market,” coach Jon Cooper stated Wednesday morning. ”Whether or not that is on the ability play or 5-on-5, you get one other participant that the puck will get on his stick within the offensive zone, it would go within the web – particularly in a collection the place targets are at a premium.”

Stamkos, who final performed Feb. 25, had surgical procedure in early March and aggravated the harm at the least as soon as over the summer time, confirmed that on his objective. As quickly as teammates noticed Stamkos scored, the bench right into a spontaneous celebration maybe not like any objective through the playoffs.

However targets weren’t at a premium for the Lightning on Wednesday night time. Minutes after Hedman prevented a breakaway objective by speedy Stars ahead Denis Gurianov, Kucherov took benefit of a brutal turnover by 21-year-old budding star Miro Heiskanen and scored on a breakaway of his personal.

Hedman scored his personal objective within the second, his 10th to place him third all-time in targets by defenseman throughout a single postseason. Solely Paul Coffey and Brian Leetch have extra.

”I believe Kuch stated it after the final recreation: We’re not right here for our private stats,” Hedman stated. ”We’re right here for one factor, and that is profitable the Stanley Cup.”

Dallas’ stars not being at their greatest will not assist their try to win it. Past Heiskanen’s turnover, top-line winger Alexander Radulov took two unhealthy penalties and was demoted within the lineup, whereas Tyler Seguin’s objective drought reached a career-worst 12 video games and Khuodbin was shaky.

Fourth-liner Jason Dickinson scored the Stars’ solely objective earlier than the sport was out of hand, and Heiskanen’s within the third interval did not make up for placing the puck proper on Kucherov’s stick for the breakaway.

”They made two good photographs early,” Stars captain Jamie Benn stated. ”They capitalized on their probabilities, and we did not.”

Whereas Tampa Bay obtained a big expertise again, Dallas was and not using a key veteran position participant. Ahead Blake Comeau was dominated unfit to play after showing to injure his proper shoulder on a success by Ryan McDonagh in Sport 2.

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Nick Caamano made his NHL playoff debut in Comeau’s place. He additionally final performed – within the minors – 196 days in the past.

NOTES: Oettinger stopped the 2 photographs he confronted in aid. … To make room for Stamkos, Tampa Bay scratched Carter Verhaeghe. … Together with Comeau being out, goalie Ben Bishop, ahead Radek Faksa and defenseman Stephen Johns remained unfit to play.

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Stamkos stated it is too early to inform if he’ll play in Sport four Friday night time.

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