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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Sergei Bobrovsky has the Columbus Blue Jackets on the verge of sweeping a playoff series that almost no one thought they could win.
The Russian goalkeeper closed the door when the Tampa Bay Lightning pitched a desperate lead on Sunday night, preserving a 3-1 victory and giving Columbus a 3-0 lead in the quarter-finals of the conference. 39 is facing the best team in the NHL.
The Blue Jackets will attempt to complete the sweep – and win a playoff series for the first time in the franchise's history – in the fourth home game on Tuesday night.
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Matt Duchene, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson scored, and Bobrovsky finished with 30 saves, including 16 in the final period.
"You do not get to that time of year without a very good goalkeeper, and you do not win playoff games without your goalkeeper, so I thought it was really big in those 10, 12 minutes there where they have turned up, "Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "Bob is not saying anything, he's going about his business, the way he's getting ready is unparalleled, we're going to need him because there will be another push in the fourth game."
Without their top scorer, Nikita Kucherov, suspended, and injured defender Victor Hedman, the Lightning, who had 62 of his best league victories, found no momentum until the end, and then Bobrovsky took up the challenge.
Columbus has ordered the series since his 3-0 deficit in the first period of the first game, then rally and win 4-3. The Blue Jackets beat the Lightning 5-1 in the second game and dominated it for most of the game on Sunday.
"The work is not over, but at the same time, it's fun," Duchene said. "It was unbelievable, and we want to finish the job without a doubt, we obviously have a great opportunity on Tuesday at home in front of our fans, and I think these fans deserve us to do the work here at home."
The evening was satisfying for Bobrovsky – he has not been terrific in the playoffs the last two seasons – and the Blue Jackets, who have been 2-8 at the Nationwide Arena three times in the playoffs. They are the only NHL team not to have won the playoffs.
"We should not think too much, we just have to enjoy tonight and prepare another work meeting, work for each other and, yes, let's see what will happen," said Bobrovsky.
Ondrej Palat scored in the third period and Andre Vasilevskiy made 27 saves for the Lightning, who face a quick and unexpected elimination.
The teams came back from the 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series on just four occasions. The last time was in 2014, when the Los Angeles Kings managed to get out of the first series against San Jose and finally won the Stanley Cup.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper has finally found signs of comfort in his team.
"As far as I know, we are playing Tuesday, so we were still alive," he said.
After a scoreless first period, the Blue Jackets scored 1:44 in the second when Duchene was in the right place to score a rebound . Bjorkstrand overtook Vasilevskiy's header on the power play Adventurer Alexandre Texier earned his first NHL pass with a 2-0 lead at Columbus at 8:25.
Tampa Bay has joined the board of directors with Purpose of the palat in the third, but could not gather. Atkinson is connected on an empty network with a minute to play.
NOTES: Kucherov was suspended for boarding Blue Jackets defender Markus Nutivaara in the second match on Friday. Nutivaara was injured in the upper body on Sunday … Columbus signed with Vladislav Gavrikov on Saturday, but he is not yet allowed to play because his visa is pending. … The Lightning's first three shots in the first period were the lowest in a given period by the Blue Jackets in a home playoff game. The Blue Jackets won their last home playoff game on April 18, 2017. Columbus scored four power play goals in the series.
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FOLLOWING: Tue 4 tuesday in Columbus.
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