(East Los Angeles, CA) September 30, 2020 [From The Editor’s Desk]: Every fan wants his or her team to play well and ultimately win any playoff series and ultimately a coveted title, and that’s exactly what the Dallas Stars were doing for theirs. When it looked like this Stanley Cup Finals would be over in short-order after the Lightning went up (3-1), the Stars weren’t buying it. They fought, scrapped, and gutted it all out to the very end of this game, and for those efforts, they were rewarded with a win and one more chance to lengthen the series to a full seven games. Let’s read how they managed to stay alive with Joe Perry’s account of the game.

2020 Stanley Cup FINALS – Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Dallas Stars – Game 5

-Dallas Stars Stay Alive With Gutsy Performance-

(1^st Period): Remarkably, with only 2 minutes left in the 1^st period, there was no score. Until the Dallas Stars finally struck first to make it (1-0). A pass chipped forward to the Star’s offenseman Tyler Seguin, notorious for battling through anybody, had Tampa Bay players hacking at him. Then the puck squirted away and ended up in the hands of Corey Perry, the veteran for the Stars, who jumped right in while everyone else was watching. Perry put it off the post and in for a Dallas goal.

(2^nd Period): The Lightning came out to tie it (1-1). It was an amazing team play, which started back with Tampa Bay defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk clearing it up and off the boards. Brayden Point brought it down with a one-touch pass for Nikita Kucherov to field. Kucherov skated in and looked to pass. He found Ondrej Palát streaking on the right wing and gave it up to him. Palát, a lefty, took it from forehand to backhand and swept in hard toward the goal with Stars defenseman Esa Lindell on him. Palát had him beat though – he hooked in front of Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin and snuck the puck around him far-side for the goal, finishing off the wonderful play for the Lightning’s top line. To see more coverage of this game by the NHL, click here.

(3^rd Period): Tampa Bay came out to score again.  Brayden Point carried into the zone full strength, totally in control. He headed to the left-side boards and pulled up, found Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev who proceed to rip a 94mph slapshot. The puck sailed past everyone and exploded into the back of the net to make it (2-1) Tampa Bay. It was a perfect shot. Khudobin probably never even located the puck due to the screens in front of net. But then, Dallas tied the game after a face-off win in the offensive zone. Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen got it back at the point and hit a slap-shot himself. It was blocked in front, but Pavelski battled hard and beat out Tampa Bay’s Cedric Paquette to bury the rebound home. The score was (2-2) at the end of regulation.

(Overtime #1): The period was filled with extreme lines that went to the hard spots. But at the end of the first overtime, Dallas only had one shot on net. Conversely, Tampa Bay had plenty of chances, but they couldn’t cash in on any.

(Overtime #2): Dallas Stars’ winger Corey Perry won the game for his team. First of all, Perry is 6’ 3”, 210 lbs. That’s a solid guy. He came in on a 2-on-1 but couldn’t pass because Tampa Bay’s assistant captain, Victor Hedman dove across the ice. Perry then backhanded the puck off the post and proceeded to out-battle two Tampa Bay defenseman who attempted to dispossess him. Perry chopped the puck out to fellow teammate John Klingberg who was walking backwards along the Blue Line. A moment late, Klingberg cracked a slap-shot. The puck, redirected, found its way out in front of the net for Corey Perry. Perry once again went shoulder-to-shoulder with the defense, and using his strength and patience, he triumphed. Perry scored his second goal of the game, to end it in victory. Game 5 of this Stanley Cup Finals showed us a gutsy performance by the Dallas Stars, giving their team another opportunity to extend the series, and Corey Perry the chance to secure three goals in the past two games.

FINAL SCORE: Dallas Stars  3   Tampa Bay Lightning  2  –   Double (OT)

[About Our Correspondent]: Joe Perry is our new Sports Correspondent and Cinema-TV, and Entertainment Columnist for East L.A. Sports Scene. He was born in New Jersey and raised by two public school teachers who loved taking him on World tours. He is a recent June, MFA graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts Program in Film & TV Production. Duly noted here, while growing-up, Joe was a huge fan of the New Jersey Devils. He has been covering the re-start of the National Hockey League, (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Finals.