One could excuse many hockey fans for not being totally aware of Tampa Bay’s trio of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov before the playoffs began. You really can’t miss “The Triplets” if you’ve paid attention to the postseason, though.
Kucherov scored the 6-5 overtime tally in Game 3, yet the chemistry Palat and Johnson showed probably exemplified the trio’s dominance more than anything else. All three forwards scored at least one goal on Wednesday.
Here’s the Kucherov clincher:
While Johnson assisting Palat was a work of art:
The rave reviews keep piling in, too.
Brian Boyle described “The Triplets” as “scary good.” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper really nailed the notion that the trio is making a mainstream breakthrough:
Some might be wondering how the Rangers can slow them down, beyond maybe slowing down the general level of play. One hint may be to try to avoid less-than-ideal matchups.
The Rangers might want to avoid the Dan Girardi vs. the Triplets matchup. pic.twitter.com/OH33TjQiFr
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) May 21, 2015
Here’s the problem, though. If you shift to many sources against “The Triplets,” then Steven Stamkos’ line could take over. Actually, that already seems to be happening; Stamkos is asserting himself while Alex Killorn is making an impression:
Cooper said that Palat and Killorn were "giants among men" in Game 3. #TBLightning
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) May 21, 2015
Killorn with nine shots tonight, goal, assist, plus 3 in 17:46. Monster game http://t.co/eAH3rs4j0w
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) May 21, 2015
For some, this is a coming out party, yet careful observers noticed the trio as one of the best lines in the NHL in 2014-15. That latter group may end up expecting this kind of dominance ... but they might not be alone.
Bishop on the play of the Triplets: "We're kind of getting spoiled. We're kind of getting used to it." #TBLightning
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) May 21, 2015
It’s hard not to, though, right?
Now we just need to come up with a better nickname than “The Triplets.”
The Triplets line of @tjohnny09 (12-6—18), Kucherov (7-9—16) & @Opalat18 (6-7—13) has combined for 25 of 47 @TBLightning goals in playoffs.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 21, 2015