Ondrej Palat scored the goal that gave his team the lead. There is a time and a place for this.
There was a trophy in the building. Fans were excited. The Colorado Avs were on the verge of a third title.
The resilience that has carried them to back-to-back Cups, and on to their quest for a three-peat, was on display when the game began. We have at least one more hockey game this season.
Here are our biggest revelations, with an eye on what it all means for the remainder of the series.
The lowest point in the playoffs for the Lightning was at the end of the fourth game. The Avs won in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Jon Cooper said in his news conference that the Colorado team got away with too many men on the ice.
I feel bad for the players. We probably should be playing.
Colorado lost two valuable minutes near the end of the third period, when they were called for too many men on the ice, in order to get back in the game.
It's impossible to make this up.
The game was decided in the final 43 seconds of the game. The cup was still in its possession.
The officials might have taken extra notice after being put on notice.
The Stanley Cup was not won on home ice. Another chance was earned by the bay.
It felt like Game 4. The Avs tied the game in the second on a goal by Valeri Nichushkin, but the Bolts regained the lead on a goal by Jan Rutta.
After two failed man-advantage attempts, the Bolts took the lead again with Nikita Kucherov's power-play marker.
The back-and-forth started. The third gave way to more speed and skill.
The ice shifted when Ondrej Palat scored his go-ahead score. He challenged Kuemper from behind. The Lightning scored a couple of goals. The Avs dominated the next few shifts in the offensive zone to try and get back in the game.
The coach said before the game that Colorado would have to match what the other team brought. The problem was that they didn't increase their intensity fast enough.
In order to win at the best of times, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Colorado will have to decide what to do now that the lightning have more life. Even though the Avs have two chances to close out the Bolts, they don't want to prolong the experience any longer.
Which one is Kuemper? He played his best game of the playoffs in the fourth game. Colorado will need to match the heat that Vasilevskiy is putting out.
The first 10 minutes of Game 5 were crucial to the outcome. They were down by multiple goals after the first half of the first game.
Cooper said that Colorado has a great crowd. The building is energetic. You have to be engaged in your game in the first five, 10 minutes. Unfortunately, they scored early in these games. It put us on our heels and made us chase the game. Making sure that we're the ones trying to push here instead of them against us is a crucial part of tonight.
Unlike their first two games in Denver, the Lightning were not down by multiple goals by the midway mark of the first period.
They spent 40% of their time on the power play and only got two shots on goal.
The first goal of the game was scored at 15:21 of the first period by Jan Rutta.
The Avs were put on notice that Game 5 wasn't going to have the tilted ice of the first two games in Denver as a result of scoring the first goal.
The Bolts scored their first goal of the playoffs when Jan Rutta snuck the puck by Kuemper.
The Colorado team maximized their skills and speed to take a 2-0 lead.
Game 5 was an example of how things have changed.
The team is much tighter through the neutral zone because they are blocking shots in front of the net. Colorado didn't seem to have many answers in the first two periods. The pressure seemed to affect the breakouts of the Colorado team.
Colorado is going to do something about it. Some questions may be answered in the third period of the game.
The lack of hesitation in moving the puck up ice is what gives the Avs an advantage. The final 20 minutes of the game was a battle between the two teams.
It wasn't the only time on Friday that Colorado looked dangerous, but the third period was their best by far because it showcased the speed of the other teams.
The third-period video shows how to play in Game 6. There's all the answers.
The power play has been a defining aspect of the series.
There are two teams in the Stanley Cup final. All seven games can be watched on ABC, Disney+, and the app.
The first game was a 4-3 overtime win by the Avs.
Game 2: Avalanche 7, Lightning 0
Game 3: Lightning 6, Avalanche 2
Game 4: Avalanche 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 5: Lightning 3, Avalanche 2
Game 6: June 26, 8 p.m. ET (@ TB)
Game 7*: June 28, 8 p.m. ET (@ COL)
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