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Plucky Stars, leading Lightning confident going into Game 6
The attacking mentality returned, leading to Corey Perry's goal in double overtime, and the Stars get one more shot to prove they belong here. Thatโs all that really matters.โAll that matters to the Lightning is theyโre still in control of the series. Only they can win the Cup on Monday night, and they believe playing the same way as Game 5 will be enough to finish this off and celebrate. You just got to go out there and play our best, try to win that particular game and go from there." The Lightning lost their first chance to wrap up the Eastern Conference final, to the New York Islanders in overtime of Game 5.
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Tampa Bay takes momentum into back-to-back Cup games
After consecutive games with three-goal periods, Tampa Bay has all of the momentum and a 2-1 series lead. Dallas' top line is without a goal against Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay then went ahead in Game 3 with two goals in an 85-second span before three goals in the second period of a 5-2 win. The NHL is playing Stanley Cup Final games on back-to-back nights for the first time since 2009, when Detroit won each of the first two games against Pittsburgh, which eventually won the series in seven games. In its only back-to-back this postseason, Tampa Bay won Games 2 and 3 in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston.
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Stanley Cup: Stars and Lightning turn defense into offense
This is a Stanley Cup matchup for all of those who like their games to be a bit defensive. โIn todayโs NHL you need that for your team to be successful,โ Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said Friday. โWe're not surprised,โ Stars defenseman John Klingberg said. ... Heโs doing it all right now.โThe Stars signed 14-year veteran Andrej Sekera as a free agent last summer, and he is finally in his first Stanley Cup Final with his fifth team. โEveryone is obviously very hungry to go all of the way,โ said Hedman, part of Tampa Bay's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final five years ago.
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Hockey makes progress in midst of awakening about racism
Anson Carter filled his time in pandemic isolation walking 11 miles a day, sometimes with his dogs, around his Atlanta neighborhood. To use a hockey term from his playing days, he kept his head on a swivel. I dont take it for granted.It's the sort of experience the 46-year-old TV analyst wants to explain to viewers. He'll get that chance beginning Tuesday, when NBC Sports launches a new Hockey Culture show spearheaded by Carter a 10-year NHL player to try to change the culture of hockey, one interview at a time.The initiative comes amid an awakening in hockey about systemic racism and its role in the majority white sport. The former right wing from Toronto considers his role an opportunity to put a voice to concerns about racism in hockey and the world.