TAMPA, Florida – As was the case in the previous series, even with their backs against the wall, trailing in the series, the Tampa Bay Lightning found a way to get back into a series. They did this against Toronto in the first round on three occasions and against the New York Rangers, trailing two games to none and then winning four straight games to secure the series.
After a two-game deficit to start the Stanley Cup Final, they got back on track with a dominating Game Three winning 6-2. They started out well in Game Four, but as the game wore on, the Lightning lost their grip, losing two leads and then the entire game in overtime when Nazem Kadri, in his first appearance of the Final, netted the game-winner. Colorado exhibited the fortitude to capture a critical game when they sensed their opponent was not firing on all cylinders.
The winning goal began innocently in the Colorado end. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper came out to play the puck at the left circle with no pressure. He passed the puck to Artturi Lehkonen who carries the puck along the left boards. As he crossed his on blue line, he found Kadri at the Tampa Bay line. The saucy forward drove to the net with the puck on his backhand, then switched to his forehand, tucking the puck high and just under the bar.
The puck bounced back out of the net and under Vasilevskiy, leaving many to believe the puck did not go in. Trailing the play from the Colorado blue line, Bowen Byram had his arms and stick in the air, the first indicator on the ice to many that it was a goal. Video review confirmed the legal goal, and the game was over. Colorado secured the victory, and 3-1 series lead heading back to Denver while Tampa Bay was thunderstruck.
Despite the outcome, Game Four began with an early Tampa Bay flurry when just 36 seconds into the game when and with Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper down on the ice, the Lightning fired the first three shots of the game. The third one crossed the goal line and gave the Lightning the early lead.
It began after a shot by Alex Killorn who took a pass from Eric Cernak, Anthony Cirelli found an opening and fired it into the net to secure the game’s first marker.
Although Kuemper lost his mask on the play, a whistle was not, and should not, have been blown. This is because such a situation cannot deny an imminent scoring chance. The same is true when a goalie loses his glove. A whistle may not be blown dead if it were to deny an imminent scoring chance. The officials made the right decision to let the play carry on.
Colorado pushed to get the early equalizer, seemingly looking for the perfect pass and the perfect shot. They were left emptyhanded, unable to penetrate #88.
With just under 8 minutes left in the period, Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel went on the forecheck, stripping the puck from Colorado’s Erik Johnson, ten feet from Kuemper. Hagel fired on goal, but the Avalanche netminder flicked the right pad out to deny the chance.
Colorado sought to deploy an impactful forecheck with added muscle in the Tampa Bay zone, but it did little to change the tide of the game.
With just more than 3 minutes to play in the period, Tampa Bay’s Riley Nash had a glorious chance in front when Colorado’s Darren Helm was called for interference, sending the Lightning to the power play.
Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn nearly scored when he accepted a pass from Nikita Kucherov, but fired it just wide. The puck ricocheted off the stanchion behind the net, right back out to the other side in front, but no one from Tampa Bay was there to poke it home.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was threatened just once in the period, this on a high drive which caught him in the shoulder. He turned it aside and out of harm’s way.
The period ended with a dominating Tampa Bay edge as the home team led in shots 17-4 and carried the 1-0 lead. Colorado led in hits 18-11, but had nothing to show for the effort of softening up the Lightning attack.
The middle frame began just as the first one did, but without goals as the Lightning lobbed three shots on goal, the final one of that flurry looping high from one side of the net over to the other side. Colorado came back the other way and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Cale Makar drilled a shot toward the Lightning net, only to be blocked by Tampa Bay veteran Corey Perry who left momentarily after being shaken up on the play.
Just less than four minutes into the period, Norris Trophy-finalist Victor Hedman was called for interfering with Colorado’s Nico Sturm. The Avalanche would look to even the score and with less than a minute to go in the advantage, they did just that.
After supporting a flurry in which the puck never left the Lightning zone, a full 93 seconds, Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog slid the puck into the open net with Vasilevskiy down and unable to close the open side.
Not long after Colorado tied it, Tampa Bay jumpstarted their assault as Hedman came streaking into the Avalanche zone. The world-class blueliner’s speed was too much for Bowen Byram to slow. Byram’s mechanism of choice involved a stick, an intentional hook and a slight tug. It earned him a minor penalty as the official immediately recognized the foul.
Tampa Bay came out with energy, firing five shots on the power play, but none of those shots got past Kuemper.
Just past the midpoint of the period, Hedman took a pass from Jan Rutta, driving toward the goal with the puck on his backhand. With a flick of the wrist, he applied muscle and got the puck past Keumper to regain the Lightning lead. The shot seemed to surprise the Avalanche goaltender and the 19.092 in attendance.
A little more than a minute after the goal, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was called for hooking Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog and the lethal Colorado power play went back to work. Their best chance came when Mackinnon set-up in the near circle and fired a wrister that handcuffed Vasilevskiy, before it was turned aside with the blocker.
A late flurry by Tampa Bay served as a reminder to the visitors they are battling every second of this game, up to and including the buzzer.
The Lightning led in shots after two periods 26-20, but ceded the hits category to Colorado at 20-27. Their one goal lead intact, the Lightning ended the period with control, but the Avalanche pressing in ways they had failed to do through the first twenty minutes were gaining momentum.
The third period began with Colorado pressuring the Lightning and it didn’t take the challengers long to get rewarded for their effort.
Just under three minutes in, Darren Helm fired a shot from the right point that Vasilevskiy saved, but the rebound went to Sturm. His drive was stopped, but Andrew Cogliano was in the right place at the right time. Sturm’s backhand went off Cogliano and into the net to knot the score at 2-2. It was the first even strength goal against for Tampa Bay at home since the first round of the playoffs.
Colorado clearly had a little more jump in their step after the tying goal, closing the gap in shots and getting decidedly more chances. Vasilevskiy kept the Lightning in it, though.
With just over eight minutes to play, Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon and Colorado’s Josh Manson attempted to reopen a festering wound inflicted earlier in the game. Both nearly engaged in a bare-knuckle serenade just after Kuemper’s smothering of Corey Perry’s drive from the slot.
Then conservative play seemed to take control as regulation wound down, each team pushing a little, but not enough to take a chance and go for the win. Both teams settled in for an extra frame.
At the end of regulation, Tampa Bay led in shots 37-27, but Colorado led in hits 37-28, a deciding factor in why the Lightning didn’t score more and why the Avalanche tied things up and were moving toward pushing to a decisive edge.
Tampa Bay didn’t wait long to generate a scoring change when Nick Paul laid into a drive from the left circle that Keumper confidently turned aside.
Just more than five minutes into overtime, Nathan MacKinnon broke into the clear on Vasilevskiy. The Lightning netminder stopped the first shot and then the rebound before it was cleared away. Tampa Bay seemed to be playing tentative, allowing too much space and the Avalanche took full advantage, moving more quickly and less contested throughout the Lightning zone.
One of those earned change involved a Makar drive which just missed an open net while Vasilevskiy was down with just under nine minutes elapsed in overtime.
It wasn’t long thereafter as Colorado continued the assault, finally solving Vasilevskiy with 7:58 left in overtime and credit to Kadri’s marker in his first appearance of the Final.
Game Five is Friday night at 8:00 PM ET from Ball Arena in Denver. A victory by Colorado gives the Avalanche their third Stanley Cup Championship and first title in 21 years. A Tampa Bay victory in Game Five gives the Lightning a chance to tie up the series at home on Sunday and stave off elimination. At this stage, to win the Cup, the Lightning will have to win three straight and two games on the road in mile-high Denver.
Dennis Morrell has enjoyed many years of experience in the great game as a writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and current active USA Hockey-certified referee with over 2,000 games donning the striped jersey and keeping the game fair and safe. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at skaters at Clayton’s Shaw Park. He can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
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