The defending Stanley Cup champions are officially on the ropes, though many in the Lightning organization don’t believe it should be that way.
Colorado erased a 2-1 deficit heading into the third period on Wednesday night in Tampa to force overtime. It was there that Nazem Kadri, making his return to the lineup following thumb surgery during the Western Conference Finals, buried the OT marker to give the Avalanche a 3-1 series lead.
Yet as Colorado celebrated, Tampa Bay began pleading their case to the refs that the Avalanche had too many players on the ice when the goal was scored. Unfortunately for the home side, too many men on the ice penalties are not reviewable under current NHL rules.
Adding fuel to the fire, the initial scoresheet handed out to members of the media after the game originally had six skaters listed on the ice for the OT winner. The sheet was quickly corrected once the mistake was pointed out, but that did little to satisfy either the Lightning or their fanbase in the aftermath of Game 4.
A frustrated Jon Cooper took only one question from the press following the loss, but added “You’re going to see what I mean when you see the winning goal. And my heart breaks for the players. Because we probably still should be playing.”
When asked what he thought of Cooper’s complaints, OT hero Nazem Kadri remarked “The puck hit the back of the net, end of story, so not sure why he would say that.”
The Colorado forward was making his return to the lineup following a nasty hit from Oilers forward Evander Kane in Game 3 of their WCF series. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Kadri said. “Just thinking I was done and having a sliver of hope, and then sitting here right now is kind of surreal. I just was excited to join the team again and be in the dressing room. This is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life, so it certainly was exciting to get back into the lineup.”
Now trailing 3-1 in their best of seven series, the back to back champs face an uphill battle if they hope to extend the series. Teams holding a 3-1 series advantage have a .906 win % all time during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Not only that, but Tampa must now travel back to Colorado for their Friday night showdown in what’s sure to be an electric atmosphere at Ball Arena. Game 5 begins at 8pm ET on Friday, June 24th.
Photo: Lisa Gansky. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.