2021 Stanley Cup Final: 4 Takeaways from Game 2, including Coleman’s magic

1. Coleman, Goodrow the Difference Makers

When the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, giving up a combined total of two First Round picks and a blue-chip prospect in Nolan Foote, eyebrows were raised.

After all, many wondered where both players would fit on a stacked and star-studded Lightning lineup, while the general consensus was that the Bolts overpaid hugely for two guys that would likely be bottom-six forwards.

Well, while both Coleman and Goodrow do indeed ply their trade on the third-line, they are proving by the day that Tampa Bay General Manager Julien BriseBois was right to give up as much as he did for the pair.

Giving the Bolts the grit and the tough underbelly they were missing in so many of their past postseason failures, Coleman and Goodrow were huge contributors to last year’s Stanley Cup success inside The Bubble, and they are well on their way to helping their team go back-to-back.

The two combined for one of the greatest goals in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, with Goodrow picking up the puck before sliding a pass across to Coleman who dove full-length to knock a buzzer-beater past Carey Price with his backhand.

It was a crucial goal that crushed the spirits of the Canadiens and gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, a lead they never gave up and they are now just two wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup Champions.

The goal itself will live on in the rich history of the NHL, and it will go down as one of the most important goals in franchise history for Tampa Bay if they can finish the job.

But it was also a perfect illustration of just how important Coleman and Goodrow have been to this Lightning team, with the former having recorded 22 points in 45 postseason games with the Bolts while the latter just brings a different dimension to this team.

They aren’t All-Stars, they likely won’t win any MVP awards, but both Coleman and Goodrow have been difference makers for the Tampa Bay Lightning and they can already be considered the final pieces of the championship puzzle for this franchise, which is now closing in on its second cup in as many years.