Aftermath: Lightning 8, Penguins 2

(AP) – Steven Stamkos scored the first two playoff goals of his NHL career and the Tampa Bay Lightning emphatically avoided elimination with a convincing 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday in Game 5 of the first-round series.

Stamkos’ 96 goals over the past two seasons led the NHL, but he had only one assist over the first four games of the series. He had three points on Saturday.

The Penguins, who lead the series 3-2, will get a second chance to advance Monday night at Tampa Bay.

Star of the Game
With the Penguins stuck in a 7-0 hole in the third period, it would have been easy to throw in the towel and look ahead to Game 6 on Monday. But Maxime Talbot never gave up.

Less than a minute after Pavel Kubina scored his second goal of the game to extend the Lightning lead, Talbot hustled behind the net to retrieve the puck. He centered it through the crease, where Rupp corralled it for a shot at Roloson. The initial shot was stopped, but Rupp found the rebound to spoil Roloson’s shutout bid.

A few minutes later, Talbot put on a repeat performance, this time setting up Chris Conner’s first-ever playoff goal. Once again, Talbot refused to give up on a seemingly broken play. He centered the puck to Conner, who snapped it into the net to give the Penguins some life.

Talbot now has three points in the last three games, adding Saturday’s two assists to his Game 3 goal.

Complete Article at Pens website

Lightning thumps Penguins, 8-2; series moves to Tampa
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