The Colorado Avalanche look to close out their best-of-seven against the Tampa Bay Lighting in Game 5 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final as the series returns to the Mile High City. Puck drop is Friday night in Denver at 6pm MT.
The Avalanche defeated the Lightning in a Game 4 OT thriller on Wednesday, with the game-winning goal being scored by Nazem Kadri at 12:02 in overtime. The goal came in what was Kadri's first game back after being injured [upper body] in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on June 4th.
Nathan MacKinnon scored his first goal of these Stanley Cup Finals, increasing his playoff total to a team-best of 12. Andrew Cogliano, also scored in regulation. Mikko Rantanen continues to shine as he recorded his eighth assist of the series. Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves on 39 shots in the victory.
The loss at home ended an eight-game streak for the Lightning and their first home loss since Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the First Round.
Tampa Bay received goals from Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman in regulation. Hedman fronted the Lightning with seven shots. Mikhail Sergachev led the defensive charge with seven blocked shots. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves on 37 shots in the loss.
A win on Friday night would clinch the series and return the Stanley Cup to Denver in what would be the third time in franchise history.
