Andrey SenchenkoSports correspondentAll materialsEmail to author The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth match of the Stanley Cup final series and reduced the gap in the score, preserving the chances for the championship. Andrei Vasilevsky, Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov demonstrated a master class at the most important moment. Now they are returning from Denver to Tampa with the idea of making a historic comeback. The series “Colorado” – “Tampa” in the battle for the Stanley Cup, without exaggeration, can be called phenomenal. If only for the reason that both teams themselves are phenomenal. Avalanche, with its endless charge in batteries, tirelessly rush like mad and, like an avalanche (that's really a coincidence), sweep away everything in its path. Daring tramps Jared Bednar did not even recognize the authority of “Tampa” and put the champions of the last two years in an extremely awkward position, winning three of the first four matches in the Stanley Cup final. As for the Lightning phenomenon, even with a score of 1-3 in the series, who dared to bury the John Cooper gang's chances for the title. Yes, the history of the NHL knows only one case of a comeback and victory in the finals after 1-3: it happened back in 1942, when Toronto defeated Detroit. But it is Tampa, even in its current form, that looks like the team that is able to repeat this performance. Fortunately, on the comebacks in the current playoffs, the Lightning have already trained.
