Lightning facing another do-or-die scenario

Game 6 on Sunday night will be the last Tampa Bay Lightning home game of the 2021-22 season. If it goes the way they plan, the final game of their entire NHL season will be played on Tuesday night at Ball Arena in Denver.
Tampa Bay is playing in a do-or-die game for the second-straight time this series after winning Game 5 in Colorado on Friday night to shrink the Avalanche series lead to 3-2.
Now, they'll have to beat them again.

The Lightning enter tonight's game holding an 8-2 record at home, while Colorado has posted an 8-1 record on the road with their one loss coming against the Bolts in Game 3.
Prior to Game 4, Tampa Bay had posted a playoff franchise record eight straight wins at AMALIE Arena. They've performed exceptionally on home ice this postseason and will look to continue that trend tonight to extend their season. While the Lightning will have the advantage of their home fans and the last change, they're most focused on playing their best game.
"You can control maybe matchups a little bit better at home," said Tampa Bay defenseman Zach Bogosian. "Obviously, being the home team, you can do that all you want, but if you don't compete and play as hard as you can and do what we know we're capable of, it doesn't matter."
The Stanley Cup will be in the building for a second-straight game and the Bolts are determined to do whatever they can to make sure it stays in its case tonight. If they can win, this thing goes to a winner-take-all Game 7, but the Lightning aren't looking that far ahead.
The attention of the group is focused on tonight. Get through tonight and go from there.

"Our mindset's just worrying about this game," said Tampa Bay forward Anthony Cirelli. "Obviously, if we don't win tonight, there isn't one (a Game 7).
"Our focus is on tonight and going out there and playing our game plan and being ready to go from the puck drop."
The Bolts will likely be without Brayden Point for the fourth-straight game tonight after Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said he anticipates that his team will ice the same lineup from Game 5. Point, who suffered a lower-body injury in Game 7 of Round One, was able to play in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, but hasn't returned to the lineup since.
"If they don't feel confident in playing at the caliber they're used to, it almost works against them," said Cooper. "It's unfortunate because it's a severe injury.
"When you can't do what you're used to doing, it's tough on the player and I think that's part of our issue here. He's still plugging along here and rehabbing and trying to get better.
"Who knows? If the series goes one more game, you never know."
Point is a competitor. As Steven Stamkos has talked about on a few different occasions, there's nothing worse for an athlete than being injured and watching from the sideline without the ability to help the team on the ice. Cooper mentioned on Sunday morning that the conversation he had with Point following Game 2 was tough, but all parties are on the same page with the situation.
"It's extremely difficult for everyone involved and everyone cares so much," Cooper explained. "There's no animosity or anything like that.

"They're just difficult conversations because everybody wants the same thing, but we both know the answer."
The Lightning were able to out-will the Avalanche in Game 5 and score in the final 10 minutes of the third period to extend their season. It was a gutsy win for Tampa Bay, but Cooper still feels like his group has more to give.
"I don't know if we've played our best yet," Cooper said. "I do feel, especially after that disastrous Game 2, that we're kind of inching our way back into playing better and controlling the puck a lot more."
Throughout this postseason, the Bolts have gotten better as series have gone along. They've talked about how the team that does that is typically the one that wins. Tonight, they'll have to be even better, but things are pointing in the right direction.
The Avalanche are scoring at a record-setting rate in this year's playoffs. They're averaging 4.37 goals per game, the highest of any playoff team this century.
After scoring four goals in Game 1 and seven goals in Game 2, the Avalanche have only scored two regulation goals in each of the last three contests. They finished Game 4 with three goals after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.
But the Lightning are starting to find a groove defensively. They aren't giving up nearly as many high-danger chances. Their breakouts are much crisper. They aren't letting Colorado get the quick transition game going and have done a better job clogging the neutral zone.
Another huge point of emphasis in Game 6 will be special teams. The Avalanche have had a lethal power play all postseason, including this series against the Bolts. In Game 5, the Lightning penalty kill kept the Colorado power play off the scoresheet and added a power play goal of their own.
"The power play can go on a little bit of a slump and I think you can get through with it, but your PK can't go through a slump," Cooper explained. "For us to start killing some of these penalties off of late, I think it's really helped our game."
It has. If Tampa Bay can win the special teams battle tonight, they'll give themselves a great chance to win.
After making 35 saves on 37 shots against in Game 5, Andrei Vasilevskiy will have to be big for the Lightning again in Game 6. Vasilevskiy has been great at home this postseason. Over his last seven contests, Vasilevskiy has posted a 6-0-1 record and made 236 saves on 246 shots against for a .959 save percentage and 1.39 goals against average.

When the lights are shining the brightest, Vasilevskiy is usually at his best. He'll surely be ready for tonight as his preparation may be second to none.
"Game days, he's usually pretty quiet, laser focused," said Bogosian. "Generally, you try to stay out of the goalie's way most of the time on game days.
"He's an intense guy, just the way he goes about his business on game days.
"He's always looking to get better and making sure that he's doing everything in his power to make sure that he's playing at the top of his game.
"It's good to see when you have a guy like that, who can be such an impact player that's so focused."
The win in Game 5 was great, but Tampa Bay can't stop now. It's win or stay home in a must-have Game 6 tonight.
"There's a ton of guys in that room that have experience and I just think the key is to not get too high, not get too low," Bogosian said. "As cliché as it is to say, just try to go out there, win your next shift and not look too far ahead.
"We still have to play like there's no tomorrow."