Game 4 was perhaps the first in the current Stanley Cup Finals where we finally saw an even matchup “Tampas” and “Colorado” – without dominance on one side and heroic but unsuccessful attempts to escape on the other. Although the beginning of the game did not at all foreshadow this.
“Lightning” from the starting face-off began to crush “Avelanche”, and already in the 32nd second Antoine Cirelli finished the puck with a penny in the net Darcy Kemperwho lost his helmet during the episode. In total, in the first period, “lightning” threw the opponents 17-4 – even the return to the team did not help the guests Nazema Kadriwho has missed Colorado’s last four games due to hand surgery.
The Avalanche offense fired up from the second period and got to work Andrei Vasilevsky. As in the third meeting of the series, the Russian looked very confident, quickly suppressing any attempt by opponents to knock on the door. Yes, in the 26th minute he failed to save Tampa, when, after a prolonged pile of Colorado, most of the puck came from the foot Nathan McKinnon entered the net.
At the 43rd minute Victor Hedman and André Cogliano scored on the puck, making the score 2:2, after which the teams began to exchange infrequent but interesting moments. The most important chance “Tampa” missed Nikita Kucherovwho hit with a wrist throw after a throw-in in the right circle into the crossbar.
The Russian, after an injury received in the last game, looked a bit harsh: he had much fewer exacerbations, was not distinguished by his speed. As a result, he and the entire first Lightning tie with Palat and Stamkos proved almost invisible in the game as the team could even score in the final series.
The game reached overtime, where Colorado ran through the hosts. The Avalanches were much more active, they threw Tampa 10-3, but the champions each time were rescued either by Vasilevsky, or by the goal frame, or by the bad luck of the Avalanche players themselves.
In the 13th minute, nothing saved the Lightning when Arturi Lehkonen Nazem Kadri found Nazem Kadri with a long pass under someone else’s blue line. The Canadian infiltrated through McDonagh and Sergachev and landed a point-blank shot of a penny. At first no one understood what happened, but later it turned out that the puck flew under the crossbar and got stuck under the net.
True, the adventures with the winning goal of “Colorado” did not end there. Tampa head coach John Cooper came to post-game press conference dejected, answered a single question from reporters, hinting Avalanche failed to score puck by rules :
You’ll understand what I mean when you see the winning goal. My heart breaks for the players because we probably still had to play,” said the specialist.
When studying the episode, it became clear that this was a possible violation of the strength of “Colorado”. When Kadri broke into someone else’s area, McKinnon leaving the area was still on the ice, just reaching the gate. In the NHL, they’re pretty loyal to the roster change rule, often interpreting contentious points in favor of the offense.
Either way, Kadri’s goal was scored and Colorado took a 3-1 series lead. The Avalanches now head to Denver in hopes of securing their first Stanley Cup Final victory in 21 years.
NHL. Playoffs
Tampa Bay Lightning (Tampa) – Colorado Avalanche (Denver) – 2:3 OT (1:0, 1:1, 0:1, 0:1)
Goals: Cirelli, 0:36. Hedman, 30:42. —McKinnon, 25:27 (bol.). Cogliano, 42:53. Qadri, 72:02.
Score in the series – 1:3
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
