'Quest for Stanley Cup' explores Stamkos' emotional return for Lightning

Steven Stamkos' emotional return in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is already a part of the lore of the Tampa Bay Lightning's championship run.

The fifth episode of "Quest for the Stanley Cup," which premiered Wednesday on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube in Canada, takes viewers behind the scenes of Stamkos' unforgettable five shifts in a 5-2 victory against the Dallas Stars that gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Stamkos was in the NHL hub cities, first in Toronto and then in Edmonton, for more than eight weeks hoping to play while recovering from a lower-body injury. The Lightning captain finally got his chance in Game 3 and made the most of his opportunity by scoring on a right-wing rush to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead 6:58 into the game.
"No rust in that department," coach Jon Cooper says on the jubilant Lightning bench after watching Stamkos pick the top left corner of the net with his shot.

The forward was reinjured later in the first period and did not play in the final two but made an unmistakable impact in his 2:47 of ice time.
"To see the transformation that we've had from where we were last year to now is unbelievable," Stamkos tells his teammates in the locker room after the game. "And we're two games away. And it's going to be two of the hardest wins we're ever going to have, but this is the group and I've got a great feeling. So let's do this."
Another storyline in the penultimate episode of the six-part series is the reunion of Tampa Bay forward Barclay Goodrow with his parents, John and Janice Goodrow. After watching the first two games of the Cup Final on television quarantining in their hotel in the Edmonton bubble, Goodrow's parents are able to watch Game 3 inside Rogers Place and greet him with hugs afterward.
"We were so thrilled when they opened up the bubble to include parents and siblings because originally it was just wives and girlfriends and significant others," Janice Goodrow tells an NHL Original Productions camera crew.
"It's a lot better to give him a hug and see him in person," John Goodrow said.

The episode concludes with the Lightning's 5-4 overtime win in Game 4. With the game tied 3-3 after two periods, Stars coach Rick Bowness implores his players to shoot the puck more.
"We're one shot away," Bowness tells them. "Find a way to win."
But in the Tampa Bay locker room, the Lightning can sense they have the Stars on the ropes.
"Is anybody worried in this room?" Cooper says. "Not a chance. … Just come at them in waves. Just keep driving."
Ultimately, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk's power-play goal 6:34 into overtime pushes the Lightning within one victory of winning the Stanley Cup and leaves the Stars to hang onto their belief they can come back.
The conclusion to the story will be told in the final episode next week.