Easy does it: Sharp snaps goal-scoring drought
TAMPA, Fla. - Well, that's one way to end a scoring drought.
Patrick Sharp, who hadn't put a puck in the net in 13 straight games, registered what had to be the easiest non-empty-net goal of his career during the first period of the Hawks' 2-1 victory over the Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday.
The gift-wrapped goal came 6:11 into the game when Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop came out to play the puck but collided with defenseman Victor Hedman about 25-30 feet away from the net. The puck squirted free and all Hedman could do was watch in disbelief as Sharp waltzed in to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
"I saw them going for a change and I was figuring maybe I'd be able to catch them," Bishop said. "Heddy was coming for it, I was coming for it.
"You can't really hear anything in the building when it's that loud. Obviously, you saw the result."
It was Sharp's first goal since Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against Minnesota. Tuevo Teravainen and Jonathan Toews were credited with assists, although many on social media deadpanned that they should have gone to Hedman and Bishop.
"The margin of error on both teams is minimal," said Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper. "You looked at what happened to Bish and Heddy today, those two guys aren't trying to make that happen. That was an unfortunate incident."
Strong Steeger:
Kris Versteeg's game has been picking up steam in the Stanley Cup Final and he really came up big Saturday, assisting on Antoine Vermette's game-winning goal.
"He was outstanding," Andrew Shaw said. "We needed him. He stood up and made some big plays."
Versteeg played on the third line with Vermette and Teuvo Teravainen, and it was one of the Hawks' most active all night. Versteeg took 4 shots on goal and registered his first point since scoring a goal in Game 5 at Nashville.
"He was unreal," Marian Hossa said. "He held onto the puck extremely well, he made unbelievable plays. He had prime chances. He had one of his strongest games this season."
Ouch:
Tampa Bay lost second-line winger Nikita Kucherov to an injury early in Game 5. It happened after Corey Crawford turned the puck over right in front of the Hawks' net. Kucherov had a chance to score, but a diving Crawford atoned for his mistake by managing to stop the puck before it went into the net.
Kucherov, who plays on the Triplets line with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, went headfirst into the left goal post and never returned.
"I thought he was going to come back, and then I got word he wasn't coming back, so I don't know," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "He'll be evaluated probably tonight and tomorrow.
Living legend:
There were a lot of pregame questions about ageless Marian Hossa, and his younger teammates had plenty of good things to say.
"It seems like he's skating as well now as he did when he came to our team back in 2010," Patrick Kane said.
Kane went on to wonder why Hossa doesn't get more consideration for the Selke Trophy, given each year to the NHL's best defensive forward.
"He plays penalty kill. He backchecks better than anyone in the league," Kane said. "He's always up there in take-aways. He also produces offensively and scores big goals."
Hossa's best finish in the Selke voting came last season when he finished fifth. Other than that, Hossa has only finished in the top 10 one other time.
Tip-ins:
Antoine Vermette had 1 game-winning goal in his first 68 playoff games. Over his last nine, he has notched 3 game-winner. … This is only the second time in Final history that a series started with five straight 1-goal games. The other came in 1951 when the Maple Leafs won the Cup in five games over the Canadiens. … This is the first time in Stanley Cup Final history that no team has owned a 2-goal lead in the first five games of the series.