Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
Ondrej Palat - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Alex Killorn
Ross Colton - Nick Paul - Corey Perry
Patrick Maroon - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Riley Nash
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev - Zach Bogosian
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Friday's Matchup
The Lightning and the Avalanche are playing Game 5 of their best-of-seven 2022 Stanley Cup Final...Tampa Bay is 0-2 in Colorado this postseason and 0-3 in 2021-22 regular season and playoffs combined...The Lightning's last victory at Ball Arena came Feb. 17, 2020, a 4-3 OT win capped by Nikita Kucherov's takeaway in the defensive zone and subsequent breakaway goal 3:03 into OT that capped the Bolts' franchise-record 11-game win streak...Tampa Bay is 17-13 all-time in Game 5s and has won 12 of its last 16 Game 5s...The Lightning are 5-8 all-time in road Game 5s.
Friday's Storylines
The Lightning face elimination for the third time this postseason and are 2-0 so far in potential elimination games, both coming in the First Round against Toronto, the Bolts rallying from a third-period deficit to defeat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in OT in Game 6 at AMALIE Arena (Brayden Point netted the game- winner at 18:04 of OT) and finishing off the Leafs with a 2-1 win in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena (Nick Paul scoring both Lightning goals for his first two career playoff goals)...This marks the fourth occasion the Lightning have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven playoff series; they've come back to win one of those series, falling behind 3-1 to Pittsburgh in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal before rallying to win three straight by a combined 13-4, two of the three victories coming in Pittsburgh.
Injuries
2021-22 Reg. Season Man Games Lost: 185
2022 Playoff Man Games Lost: 12
Current injuries
None
Tampa Bay Sports Item of the Game
Stanley Cup Final Program
Spend $35 or more on 2022 Playoff or Final merchandise and receive a FREE Stanley Cup Final Program, while supplies. Available in store and online, today only while supplies last. Spend before taxes and after discounts. Limit one (1) per customer.
The Road Ahead
Game 6: Lightning vs. Avalanche, Sunday, June 26 (if necessary)
Game 7: Lightning at Avalanche, Tuesday, June 28 (if necessary)
