2. Big Night for Sergachev
Mikhail Sergachev was much more of an offensive defenseman in his earliest days in the NHL. His offensive numbers have not been quite what they were in his first few seasons as he has rounded into a much more complete defender especially with the luxury of being able to play behind Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman.
Sergachev has played a huge role for the Ligtning over the last few cup runs, but remarkably he had not scored a goal in the playoffs since game five of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final against Dallas. His goal in the second period leveled the score at one and his shot from the blue line in the closing minutes of the third ended up being the game winner and was later credited to Palat.
The offensive contributions were obvious, but Sergachev’s bigger impact was taking on increased minutes with McDonagh missing significant time in this game. Jon Cooper can be more than confident in having Sergachev out there as he ended up playing over 22 minutes in one of the most impressive performances of his career
This NYC traffic ain't a problem for Sergy. pic.twitter.com/ubd0aFfM2G
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 10, 2022
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