Stanley Cup Final: Lightning take Game 2 against Stars to tie series

The series is now all square at 1-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the Stanley Cup Final as the odds-on favorite to hoist Lord Stanley, but it was the Dallas Stars who delivered a punch in the mouth out of the gate in Game 1. Following a 4-1 loss to the Stars in the series opener, the Lightning were looking to get back on track in Game 2 on Monday night. They made an early statement to the tune of three unanswered goals in the first period en route to a 3-2 win.

It looked like a possible rout after the first 20 minutes but Dallas -- a team that has pulled off several impressive comebacks already this postseason -- wasn't going to go away that easy. They hit back with two goals of their own and made things very interesting down the stretch, but they ultimately fell short in adding another comeback to their postseason resume. Let's break down what happened.

Why the Lightning won: After appearing gassed and overwhelmed by Dallas' pressure in Game 1, Tampa looked to have much better legs on Monday. They came out strong, skated hard and played with a lot more conviction in the first 20 minutes of this game. Their passing was on point and the power play finally got it going, scoring back-to-back goals on the man-advantage to give them an early lead and some much-needed confidence after a series-opening loss. They were able to dominate much of the play in the opening frame and announce that the Lightning, as we know them, were here to play. 

Why the Stars lost: The biggest story of Game 2 was special teams, and the Stars most definitely came away on the wrong end of that battle. They put Tampa on the power play three times in the first period and not only did that undisciplined play lead to two Tampa goals, but it prevented Dallas from establishing any sort of early rhythm or momentum. The Stars rebounded nicely from a brutal opening 20 minutes and looked pretty solid over the next 40, but they didn't do a great job of taking advantage of their own opportunities on the power play. The Stars got a PPG from Joe Pavelski in the second period but went 1-for-5 on the night and are going to need to do a better job of winning the special teams battle in the series because Tampa is typically a 5v5 monster.

[Sep 21, 2020 at 10:57 pm ET · Pete Blackburn]

Great opening period & power play got the job done for Tampa tonight. Dallas was strong over the final 40 minutes but that opening frame killed them. Series all tied up 1-1 now

[Sep 21, 2020 at 10:50 pm ET · Pete Blackburn]

Stars cant get Khudobin out of their net for the extra attacker. Tampa being relentless

[Sep 21, 2020 at 10:34 pm ET · Pete Blackburn]

Sergachev scored to make it 4-2 but looks like it's coming back because of offside