(Sportsbooks) - For the second consecutive game the
Philadelphia Flyers put relentless pressure on the
Tampa Bay Lightning while trailing in the third period. This time the onslaught paid off.
Led by the will of captain Keith Primeau, the Flyers tied the game with less than two minutes to go in regulation before winning 5-4 in overtime. Rather than shaking hands and wishing the Lightning well, Philly tied the Eastern Conference finals at three games apiece and set the stage for Saturday night's Game 7 in Tampa.
"We obviously had no choice, and that's the way we talked about it between the second and third period, is leave nothing for doubt, leave nothing in the tank, see where it goes," said Primeau, who has four goals and four assists in the series. "And I give our team a lot of marks because we showed a lot of courage and played with a lot of heart in the third period to battle back."
The Flyers outshot the Bolts 17-5 in the third frame, but it seemed as if their efforts would be futile - just as they were during a dominating final period in Game 5 Tuesday. However, Primeau built upon his growing mythical status by scoring the equalizer with a mere 1:49 left in the third.
Primeau's tally came as a result of what turned out to be an inadvertent self- pass through the crease and a determined effort to catch up with the puck on the other side of the net. The goal appeared to have shocked the system of the Lightning, who continued to get thoroughly outplayed in the overtime.
Philly outshot Tampa, 10-5, in OT, and finished the comeback when Simon Gagne buried his second goal of the game with 1:42 to go. Gagne picked up the garbage of Jeremy Roenick's failed wraparound attempt and beat Khabibulin through his legs.
"The puck came right on my stick," Gagne said. "I shot right between his legs even though I had room on his left side."
Gagne, who was challenged by GM Bob Clarke through the media earlier this week, benefited by the new line combinations put together by coach Ken Hitchcock in Game 6. The trio of Gagne-Primeau-Roenick combined for four goals and four assists - two tallies apiece from Primeau and Gagne.
"I think we clicked pretty well tonight," said Gagne. "It was very exciting when I see that line on the board this morning. There was no doubt in our mind, we had to put everything in that game, and as a line, I think we battled hard and we got a couple of goals. I guess we had no choice to win it. We put everything in, and a couple goals went in and hopefully that we'll keep going Game 7, too."
The new line could have had a contest going with Tampa's trio of Vincent Lecavalier-Ruslan Fedotenko-Martin St. Louis, which united for four goals and two assists. The two lines accounted for eight of the game's nine tallies, with Sami Kapanen's goal in the second period being the exception.
Thursday's contest continued some key trends in this series. First off, one team has yet to win consecutive games to this point. Secondly, The Flyers have won all three times when there was just one day off between games - as will be the case Saturday.
As for the Lightning heading into Game 7, it would appear as if much of the stress and pressure now falls on their shoulders. Are they going to be able to enter the match with a clear mind, or will they be thinking over and over about how they were less than two minutes away from a date with the Calgary Flames in the Finals.
"You have to look at it as an opportunity. You don't get a chance to play many Game 7s," said Lightning coach John Tortorella. "That's the way you have to look at it. We lost an opportunity tonight. We have to regroup, wipe it clean and it's a great opportunity to play in a Game 7 situation and we're looking forward to it."
Saying he can wipe it clean is one thing, but actually doing so might not be as easy.
