Nazem Kadri’s OT goal lifts Avalanche over Lightning in Game 4

Associated Press
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 11:54 p.m. | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 11:54 p.m.

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Colorado Avalanche center Andrew Cogliano, center, and defenseman Josh Manson (42) celebrate the overtime goal by teammate center Nazem Kadri (91) in Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa.

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Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri shoots the puck into the top of the goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) for a goal during overtime of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

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Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri shoots the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) for a goal during overtime of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

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The Colorado Avalanche celebrate the overtime goal of center Nazem Kadri in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa.

AP

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) shoots the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) for a goal during overtime of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

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Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta (44) checks Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) during overtime of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

TAMPA, Fla. — Nazem Kadri scored at 12:02 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to move within a victory of dethroning the two-time defending champion Lightning.

Playing for the first time since June 4 due to a thumb injury, Kadri skated in on Andrei Vasilevskiy and slipped a shot under the goaltender’s right arm to give Colorado a 3-1 series lead.

NAZEM! KADRI!

The @Avalanche take a 3-1 series lead! ???? #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/eVIjSKz6or

— NHL (@NHL) June 23, 2022

The Avalanche outshot the Lightning 11-3 in the extra period. Vasilevskiy stopped Logan O’Connor on a breakaway, and Colorado had a shot clang off the post and another hit the crossbar before Kadri ended it.

Game 5 is Friday night in Denver, where Colorado won the first two games of the series and are 7-2 this postseason.

Anthony Cirelli scored 36 seconds into the game and Victor Hedman also scored in regulation for the Lightning. They took a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Nathan MacKinnon scored on a second-period power play for Colorado, and Andrew Cogliano tied it early in the third.

Darcy Kuemper, pulled from Game 3 after giving up five goals in a 6-2 loss, stopped 37 shots for the Avalanche.

Vasilevskiy finished with 35 saves. He has rebounded from allowing 11 goals in Games 1 and 2 to limit the high-scoring Avalanche to five the past two games.

The Lightning are trying to become the first team to win at least three straight Stanley Cup titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83. The Avalanche last hoisted the Cup in 2001.