The Tampa Bay Lightning showed some life in Game 3 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. After rejecting Game 2, Tampa scored from six different scorers in a 6-2 victory.
After allowing 11 goals in the first two games, Andrei Vasilevskiy was back in shape on the net, making 37 stops. The Lightning have won a franchise record of eight straight home playoff games.
And for the 23rd consecutive season, there will be no sweep in the Stanley Cup final.
2 Related
Midfielder Nathan MacKinnon, who scored 32 goals in the regular season, finally broke his mini fall in the Stanley Cup final. He finally got on the board in the second period with a wild goal that bounced off his skateboard after a shot from Mikko Rantanen.
It will be a crucial night in Tampa before the series returns to Denver for Game 5 on Friday. Here are all the sights and sounds of Game 4.
Final conclusion of the game 4
Colorado got back to the fast end in overtime.
Three of the 15 post-regulation periods of these playoffs have ended in 90 seconds or less. Andre Burakovsky quickly finished things off for Colorado at the end of Game 1 for 4-3 against the game.
Valeri Nichuskhkin came close to extending the visitors’ lead when he found himself completely unmarked in front of the goal after a pass through the middle. He tried to lift the ball over Andrei Vasilevkiy but overcooked it and hit the bar instead.
Logan O’Connor had a great opportunity to score following a counterattack after 29 minutes, but Vasilevskiy’s shot from the left sailed high over the bar. The goalkeeper easily stopped his attempt.
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Bowen Byram hit the crossbar. Devon Toews hit the post. Vasilevsky stopped a slap from Josh Manson.
It was only fair that Nazem Kadri finished with an overtime winner to give the Avalanche a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup final.– Kristen Shilton
Avs takes the game 4
Nazem Kadri is the hero of the extra time, scoring the winning goal in the 12th minute. It was the first time Kadri had played since he fractured his thumb on June 4th.
ONE WORD: #NAZTY #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/bDF0BP1wZA
– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 23, 2022
🚨🚨 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/6ATKSoveWR
– NHL GIF (@NHLGIFs) June 23, 2022
Takeaway food from the third period
The referees seemed to leave their whistles.
It happened in the third period when Colorado and Tampa Bay pushed it forward looking for the winning goal.
The players of both sides did not seem happy, however. There were appeals to officials for calls that could have been big changes in momentum.
The referees did not make such decisions.
Regardless, it was a proper finish for regulation. This has been the most contested game in the series. Tampa Bay seemed dominant at first and the Avalanche overtook them in the third. Both Darcy Kuemper and Andrei Vasilevskiy have been great.
Get a great end to overtime. Who breaks first? – Kristen Shilton
From here to there
This could end up being the most similar match of these Stanley Cup finals, as the Avalanche tied it again with a goal from Nico Sturm.
What a beauty! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/qJ9VxfgPek
– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 23, 2022
Takeaway food second period of avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon has joined the chat.
It could not have come at a better time.
The Colorado star center had been bitten to start the Stanley Cup final without being able to score a goal in the first three games. MacKinnon pledged not to get frustrated (a shot of his during previous falls) and kept firing until he found an opening.
His power-play goal was not exactly a matter of beauty, nor did it require a real shot. But he tied the score at Game 4 with a 1-1 draw.
It was MacKinnon who passed the puck to Mikko Rantanen, and Rantanen sent it back to the net where the pounce bounced off his skate and overtook Andrei Vasilevskiy.
They don’t ask how. They wonder how many.
No one needed a goal like MacKinnon, though. Although the Tampa Bay stars have been on the rise, Colorado has been hurt to see its outstanding performer with just two assists in three outings.
A lasting problem, though? Colorado hasn’t had a matched goal since the series moved to Tampa; all three have come this far with the extra man. Not great. – Kristen Shilton
Lightning to take away second period
Last night was a strange night for Lightning defender Victor Hedman and Colorado Avalanche defender Cale Makar. It was the night before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final and they were dressed up for the NHL Awards Dinner, held at a local Tampa brewery. Hedman cheered just to see Makar win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defender. It was the sixth time Hedman had been nominated for the award. He has only won once.
So there was probably some satisfaction for Hedman in the second period when he scored the type of goal that the Norris trophies are made of: hanging through the neutral zone, then the Avalanche defense, before floating a shot over Darcy Kuemper’s blocking side for a 2-1 lead at 10:42 of the period. Much of that goal was Jack Johnson’s defense and a Kuemper scent? Okay, so it was. But it was still a wonderful move and a monumental goal for Hedman. We are checking the NHL statutes to see if Makar should legally hand over the Norris to him now.
The other great performance of the second period was the goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. He gave up a power-play goal on a record that bounced off Nathan MacKinnon’s skate, the sixth power-play goal in the Avalanche series, but on the other hand it was a vintage Big Cat with 15 savings during the period. If lightning was not blocking them, it was saving them.
The period did not end well for the Bolts, however. Anthony Cirelli, MacKinnon’s defensive line, left the field with a smile on his face as he was substituted for a goal after 80 minutes. Definitely something to keep in mind for the third party.– Greg Wyshynski
Tampa regains the lead
Victor Hedman gives Lightning his first goal of the second period and a 2-1 lead. It is Hedman’s third goal of the postseason and his first since May 10.
GENTLEMEN AND GENTLEMEN, VICTOR HEDMAN đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/FoDi6tfN5c
– Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 23, 2022
All tied up
The Avalanche counterattacked just minutes after the second period, with MacKinnon sending a rebound home for his first goal in the series after 32 attempts, the highest of any player on either team.
MacKinnon’s first goal in the #StanleyCup final tied the game! pic.twitter.com/weOTP7CgOI
– NHL GIF (@NHLGIFs) June 23, 2022
Subtle, but beautiful.
Nate #BudLightCelly #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/nfyqmTd6k0
– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 23, 2022
Takeaway food first period of avalanche
Colorado could not have seen it starting.
It would take Tampa Bay just 36 seconds to go 1-0 up the Avalanche in an incredibly loose sequence.
Lightning’s Erik Cernak had a good first touch on the flank, but was crowded and, after a change of plan, sent the ball to Darcy Kuemper who somehow managed to curl the ball wide. Then Kuemper couldn’t stop Anthony Cirelli’s back play Anthony Cirelli put Tampa Bay on the board.
Normally, when a goalkeeper’s mask is removed, there is an immediate whistle, but in this case, as there was an opportunity for a goal in progress, the game was allowed to continue.
Kuemper had a tough enough game before that. He had the spirit to start after being stopped in the middle of game 3 to allow five goals in 22 shots. He did not need a strange goal that would further damage his confidence. Kuemper bounced (no pun intended) very well, but as the Avalanche got baptized in front of him, he was beaten 10-1 for the first 13 minutes.
In fact, Kuemper was the only one who stayed together in Colorado for those first 20 minutes. This is a dangerous position for the Avalanche to take. He made a great glove stop to Steven Stamkos and then was sharp in the Tampa Bay power play opportunity.
The Avalanche ended the period beating 17-4.
Wow. – Kristen Shilton
First-class takeaway
The Lightning are 7-1 when they have an advantage after the first period of the playoffs, which is another way of saying that this is a team that knows how to play with an advantage. They blocked 13 shots in front of Vasilevsky and altered a few more. They blocked the neutral zone and did not allow the Avalanche to increase its speed play. The Lightning gained significant zone time with their forecheck, especially with their fourth line winning the game’s only power play.
That said, it’s still just a 1-0 lead for the Lightning after the first, despite that chance for power and 17 shots on goal. There have been some missed opportunities and Kuemper has been able to regain his footing after an unsafe start. – Greg Wyshynski
Don’t waste time
It seems that the Lightning have finished their disastrous match 2, as they needed less than a minute for the first goal of the match. Kuemper was a disappointment, however.
ENTREM CALOR 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MfmSVUuQtD
– Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 23, 2022
They make it smaller bigger
Butterfly Pavilion, a zoo in Westminster, Colorado, and its resident deer beetle wished good luck to the avalanche before Game 4.
Why thank you 💪🥺
– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 23, 2022
Look at the part, be the part
Both teams headed to the arena for Game 4.
It’s for that time. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/z1i0aQrv7j
– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 22, 2022
These guys mean business. pic.twitter.com/n1FTit2A1U
– Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 22, 2022
Return of the rings
Pets deserve their championship rings as much as anyone else, so it’s comforting to see that Lightning’s mascot recovers two he had lost.
@ ThunderBugTBL’s Stanley Cup big-ring goalkeeper put the pet back with his bling after the Bug forgot about them before. # Game4 pic.twitter.com/0l5XA0uWai
– Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 22, 2022