Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was emotional after his team's controversial 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday.

Cooper only answered one question during the postgame press conference, telling reporters his "heart breaks" for his players because of how the game ended:

Prior to Nazem Kadri's game-winning goal, there was some confusion that the Avs may have had too many men on the ice. Nathan MacKinnon was being subbed out for Kadri, but it took him more than five seconds to get to the bench.

At the same time, it also appeared the Lightning had an extra man on the ice when the substitutions were happening:

The official game sheet from the NHL showed six Colorado players were on the ice when the game-winning goal was scored:

NHL Hockey Operations issued a statement after the game about the controversy.

"A too many men on the ice penalty is a judgment call that can be made by any of the four on-ice officials," the statement read (via NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger). "Following the game, Hockey Operations met with the four officials as is their normal protocol. In discussing the winning goal, each of the four officials advised that they did not see a too many men on the ice situation on the play."

There was a similar situation that the Lightning benefited from in last year's playoffs. Yanni Gourde scored a shorthanded goal in Game 7 of the semifinal that wound up being the difference in a 1-0 win over the New York Islanders.

Andrew Gross of Newsday noted that an image was circulated that appeared to show Tampa Bay had five skaters on the ice. Barclay Goodrow was serving a two-minute penalty for cross-checking at the time.

No one on the Islanders was asked about the situation. The Lightning then went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Montreal Canadiens.

Wednesday's loss put the Lightning on the brink of defeat, facing a 3-1 series deficit heading back to Ball Arena for Game 5.

The only team to erase a 3-1 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final was the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. They dropped the first three games of their series to the Detroit Red Wings before winning four straight.

The Lightning and Avs will play Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

TAMPA, Fla. — Much has been made about the Colorado Avalanche's goaltending situation over the last month. The noise quieted down when Darcy Kuemper pitched a shutout in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, but then he was pulled in Game 3.

Pavel Francouz took over after Kuemper allowed five goals in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and some wondered whether the Avs might be inclined to give a start to Francouz, the goalie who helped Colorado sweep the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Kuemper allowed 2.5 goals above expected in Game 3, so one can hardly fault Bednar for making an in-game switch.

But as far as making a change for Game 4, Bednar appears to be sticking with Kuemper, which is the right thing to do. It gives the Avs some stability and it reinforces the confidence the team has in Kuemper. He didn't outright say that he would be starting Kuemper, but he said it without really saying it.

"That’s one possibility," he said after the Avs practiced Tuesday at Amalie Arena.

Bednar has declined to confirm his goalies throughout the series, even though Kuemper has been in the starter's net in all three morning skates. It's a sharp contrast to Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who has enthusiastically supported goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and emphatically confirmed his presence in the net each game.

But it's easy to announce your goalie when he's largely considered one of, if not the best, in the world. Vasilevskiy, the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner, is the backbone of the Lightning.

Kuemper and Francouz have been a tandem all season. While Kuemper is the clear-cut No. 1, Francouz is more of a 1-B than his counterpart in Tampa, 37-year-old Brian Elliott.

When Vasilevskiy gave up seven goals in Game 2, Cooper said he didn't even think about pulling him for Elliott. Meanwhile, Bednar didn't hesitate to go to the bullpen when Kuemper struggled in Game 3.

"I think it was probably more [coach Bednar] wanted to give us a little bit of a jump start by pulling him and putting Frankie in," Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson said. "But regardless of who plays, like you've seen all playoffs both guys have stepped up in the situations that they've been asked to and whoever's in the net, we're confident in. But I expect Darcy to bounce back like he always has for most situations."

The 31-year-old Kuemper was injured midway through the first game of the Western Conference Final and the Avalanche turned to Francouz, also 31, who backstopped Colorado to a sweep of the Edmonton Oilers. Though he had some shaky moments in that series, the Czech netminder had a very good season and performed admirably in seven postseason games.

He posted a .916 save percentage in 21 games (18 starts) in the regular season, and has a .906 save percentage in the postseason.

"Really versatile. All season long once he got healthy, he'd play stretches of games, he'd have big breaks in between games and come in in relief. He's continued that in the playoffs and been really steady, a calming influence on our team," Bednar said. "He's played really well when we put him in the net. Really happy with what he's been able to do, especially through the playoffs with ramped-up intensity. He keeps himself ready."

Nothing against Francouz, but changing goalies now would be a panic move on the part of Bednar. The Avs are up 2-1 in the series, so there is no need to worry right now.

The way Bednar stood by his goalie after the loss in Tampa on Monday night and calmly addressed the media on Tuesday, one wouldn't come away with the impression that he was looking to make a drastic change.

Francouz might have better numbers right now, but it's been in limited appearances. Kuemper is conditioned for this kind of workload.

"I think as a goalie that won't be the last time he gets pulled," Johnson said. "He's been pulled before, goalies get pulled all the time. They respond well, Darcy has been pulled in the regular season before and he responded great. Just like a player you're gonna make a mistake and it won't be the last mistake you ever make. It’s a game of mistakes and I think with Darcy he's responded every time he's been pulled."

We have seen extreme speed and high-level playmaking in this series. Vasilevskiy even allowed seven in Game 2. It's not time to change the goalie. At least, not yet.

Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar has won the 2021-22 Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, beating out Nashville Predators veteran Roman Josi and Tampa Bay Lightning big man Victor Hedman for the honor.

Makar, who was also nominated for the award last season, is Colorado's first-ever Norris Trophy winner.

The 23-year-old led all defensemen with 28 goals and ranked second among defensemen with 86 points in 77 regular-season games. He also averaged 25:40 of ice time and a plus-48 plus/minus.

The Avalanche selected Makar fourth overall in the 2017 draft. After playing four seasons of college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he made his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season.

The Canadian tallied 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points in 57 games during his first season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's most outstanding rookie. He also finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting that year.

Makar was a finalist for the Norris award during the 2020-21 pandemic-shortened season after recording eight goals and 36 assists for 44 points in 44 games, but he finished second to New York Rangers star Adam Fox.

Considering he had a breakout 2021-22 campaign, it's no surprise he was the winner of this year's Norris Trophy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are two-time defending champions for a reason.

While many teams would have trouble getting up for a game against an offensive juggernaut after falling behind 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final with a blowout 7-0 loss, the Lightning were more than up for the challenge. They defended home ice at Amalie Arena in Monday's Game 3 with a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche and are now down 2-1 in the series.

Perhaps the most encouraging development for the Lightning was the fact that the stars led the way.

Steven Stamkos (one goal and one assist), Nikita Kucherov (two assists) and Victor Hedman (two assists) all had multi-point games, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy bounced back with 37 saves on 39 shot attempts.

The entire team earned plenty of praise on social media:

It looked as if it would be more of the same when Colorado opened the scoring five minutes in, but Valeri Nichushkin's goal was overturned upon review for offside. Although the Avalanche still scored first and got two goals from Gabriel Landeskog and two assists each from Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar, they looked far less dominant after the crowd came to life when the first goal was disallowed.

Tampa Bay answered the first goal with three straight. Nicholas Paul scored one despite an apparent injury earlier in the game, and Ondrej Palat scored another off a beautiful pass from Stamkos.

The pattern continued when the Lightning answered Colorado's second goal with three straight again with Kucherov assisting on goals from Stamkos and Pat Maroon.

It was enough to drive goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the game, but the damage was already done for the visitors. Vasilevskiy was also dialed in to prevent any legitimate comeback threats.

Attention now turns to Wednesday's Game 4 when the Lightning will look to tie the series up and continue the theme of the home team winning every time.

DENVER — Jon Cooper talked about how important it is for a team to execute a game plan Saturday afternoon and his role once the game begins.

"The coaches' job is to put the game plan together. It's the players' job to go execute it, and they're the ones that are in the trenches," Cooper said ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. "I always make the joke I just stand there, and I watch these players go perform. But you have to have a group that's going to do it, willing to commit to doing the things that need to be done."

His group didn't do it. But Jared Bednar's did.

"I don't know about the perfect plan, but it certainly was as close to perfect as a game you can get from your players," the Colorado Avalanche coach said.

After Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, some fans were expecting a seven-game series. The Colorado Avalanche blew a lead while the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions reminded everyone of their ability to make a push within the game.

But that ability was suddenly lost in Game 2 on Saturday night at Ball Arena. The Bolts had no answer for the Avs in a 7-0 rout, and they now leave Colorado down 2-0 in the series.

Tampa Bay was down 2-0 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final but went on to win four straight, so this is not unfamiliar territory. Even if the Lightning couldn't push back in one game, this team has consistently shown that it can turn the tide of a series quickly.

But this time it feels a little different. Colorado is a far superior team to the Rangers, and even Cooper himself was surprised at his group's sudden inability to capitalize on one of its longtime strengths.

"The game got away from us early, and we have shown a propensity to push back for years," he said. "Tonight, we didn't. If this becomes a common theme in this series, it will probably be a short one. I never doubt the guys in the room. Does it suck losing a game like that? For sure. We're not used to it. It doesn't really happen to us. But is it going to happen at times? Yeah, it is.

"You're just hoping it doesn't happen in the Stanley Cup Final."

The Avs showcased an overwhelming amount of speed and skill throughout the first two games. Their zone entries are so precise and the rush is so hard and so fast that the Lightning have no choice but to try to match their speed, and so far they haven't been able to.

This isn't how Tampa Bay wants to play. The Lightning wanted to slow the Avs, bottle them up in the neutral zone and push them to the outside. They wanted to force Colorado into playing low-event hockey.

Instead, it was an exceptionally high-event game, but all of the events were taking place in the Tampa Bay zone. The Bolts only managed 16 shots on goal. Darcy Kuemper turned them all aside.

"We're checking," Colorado forward Andrew Cogliano said. "Our back pressure, our reloads—it's usually third- and fourth-line guys that are key to that, they do that really well and it's part of their game, but our top two lines are, at times in the game, the best. [Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog]—those guys are playing a 200-foot game right now that is really just tough to play against. It gives a chance for our D to stand up, create good gaps, and we get going the other way with the fast breaks."

The Lightning wanted their checking line of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel to shut down the Colorado top line of Landeskog, MacKinnon and Nichushkin. Throughout the week, Bednar has reiterated that he will not shy away from that matchup.

Instead, it's the Colorado top line shutting everyone down. They did not allow a single shot attempt at five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Nichushkin scored twice and nearly had a hat trick, but Andrei Vasilevskiy denied him. Cale Makar, a heavy Conn Smythe favorite, scored his first two goals of the Final, Andre Burakovsky had his second goal of the series and an assist before leaving with an injury in the second period, and Darren Helm and Josh Manson each scored as well. Rantanen had three assists, and Cogliano and Alex Newhook each had two.

Cooper decided to keep Vasilevskiy in the game, saying he gave the Bolts a better chance than 37-year-old backup Brian Elliott.

"Listen, this is the playoffs, and we're here to win hockey games. Vasy gives us the best chance to win a hockey game, and he's our guy," Cooper said. "He's going to be there in a couple nights. ... He's the best goalie in the world, and we win together, and we lose together. ... I don't think he would've come out. That's what a competitor he is, and that's why he's the best."

Vasilevskiy's teammates also knew they failed to give him a chance to succeed.

"He still made unbelievable saves," Lightning forward Nick Paul said. "We kind of left him out to dry there a couple times. Grade-A after Grade-A, he's not going to stop them all. He did a fantastic job tonight. We can't do that. He's our backbone, and for us to do that to him isn't fair."

The series now moves to Tampa, where the Lightning have lost only one game in the postseason and have won their last seven. But the Avs are carrying a perfect 7-0 road record into Amalie Arena.

The Avalanche are the first team in 46 years (1976 Montreal Canadiens) to take a 2-0 lead in the Cup Final against the defending champions. Three of the four previous teams to do it went on to win the series.

It's not time to count out the Lightning yet, but this is the toughest test yet for a team attempting to build a dynasty.

Saturday night was one to forget for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena in Denver.

It was an all-around disappointing effort from the Bolts, who were widely expected to bounce back from an underwhelming 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1 on Wednesday. Instead, they'll head back to Amalie Arena in an attempt to climb out of an 0-2 hole in the series.

Bolts netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy received the brunt of the criticism on Saturday night for allowing seven goals on 31 shots. However, the team in front of him played just as poorly, if not worse.

The team finished with just 17 shots on goal through three periods as the offense was near invisible. The defense, meanwhile, had an extremely difficult time containing the speedy, highly-skilled offense of the Avalanche, frequently allowing breakaways and scoring chances.

Valeri Nichushkin (two), Josh Manson, Andre Burakovsky, Darren Helm and Cale Makar (two) all finished with goals for the Avalanche.

Tampa Bay's performance on Saturday earned it some heavy criticism on social media, and rightfully so. Even legendary basketball sportscaster Dick Vitale weighed in on the game, asking if there was a mercy rule in hockey.

It was a brutal showing from the Lightning, but it's hard to already rule out the back-to-back defending champions, especially with the series set to shift to Tampa Bay.

The Bolts went down 0-2 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final and went on to defeat the Blueshirts in six games. The team's resiliency and veteran leadership will surely be a factor in Game 3, and Saturday night's shellacking should be all the fuel the team needs to reset.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters that "the right team won tonight" after the host Colorado Avalanche earned a 4-3 overtime win over the Bolts in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday.

Colorado outshot Tampa Bay 38-23 and held a 3-1 first-period lead after Artturi Lehkonen's power-play goal at the 17:31 mark. However, Tampa Bay struck back with two second-period goals to tie the game at three.

Neither team scored in the third, but overtime lasted just 1:23 after Andre Burakovsky put home the game-winner.

Despite the tough loss, the head coach of the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions took away some positives.

To their credit, the Lightning got up from the mat after a rough opening 20 minutes and looked far better from that point forward. That's something Tampa Bay can take away as it looks to bounce back in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday in Colorado.

DENVER — On the night the Colorado Avalanche clinched their first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2001, Wayne Gretzky showered defenseman Cale Makar with some high praise on the TNT postgame show, saying Makar is the closest player we've seen to Bobby Orr.

The former Boston Bruins defenseman is likely best known for his flying goal to clinch the 1970 Stanley Cup in overtime, but it's a perfect illustration of how impactful he was on both ends of the ice, much like Makar, the 2020 Calder Trophy winner, is today.

Rarely do we see a defenseman with that kind of offensive impact who is defensively dominant as well.

Dougie Hamilton can distribute for the New Jersey Devils and pick up a ton of points, but he's not the toughest defensive blueliner in the league. Across the river in New York, Adam Fox jumps into a play like a forward, but his defensive acumen isn't quite as strong as his offensive prowess. Roman Josi does just about everything well on both ends of the ice, and it shows in the way the Nashville Predators control the shot share and the expected goals when he's on the ice.

Josi and Makar matched up in what proved to be an uneventful first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it was a mere primer for what's to come this week in the Cup Final. Makar might be the best defenseman in the world, but he's about to face the most consistently elite defenseman over the last eight years in Victor Hedman.

"Obviously, I watched quite a bit of (Hedman and Josi) during the regular season and then even before I came into the league as well. It's fun going against them," Makar said Tuesday during his pre-Final media availability.

"You get to see them. It's awesome when you get to be on the ice with them. Obviously, it's not an individual competition, stuff like that. That's not the way that I perceive things at all, but no, anytime you get to get a matchup like this, it's going to be exciting."

Makar also talked about how he had watched Hedman before coming into the league and even watched clips of him recently—not necessarily in preparation for a Final run, but just because he likes watching the smooth-skating Swede.

Who doesn't? The 31-year-old won the Norris Trophy in 2018 and has been a finalist for the award given to the league's top defenseman each year since 2017. He was named the Conn Smythe winner during the 2020 Stanley Cup Final in the bubble with a 22-point performance in 25 games. It's remarkable production, but Makar could blow that mark out of the water this year.

The 23-year-old UMass product already has 22 points in 14 games, leading to more of that high praise, but this time by Hedman himself at media day.

"He's trending towards being one of the best defensemen to ever play this game," Hedman told Sportsnet.

The two might have similar numbers, but there are differences in their games.

Makar kills penalties and plays with a little more physicality than Hedman. He also jumps into plays like a forward, which gives the Avs a more dangerous look when he's on the ice. It's tough enough to contain Colorado when they have three forwards, considering how loaded that group is up front, so with Makar on the ice, it tilts.

Makar and his defense partner Devon Toews are such deft puck movers and skilled passers that they can expertly navigate the puck into the offensive zone with precision, get it up to their forwards, start the play and keep it going for the next line.

But Hedman's game is a little more subtle. While Makar is a human highlight reel, Hedman is more likely to be noticed for breaking up a play, sliding a slick pass to a forward to start a play on the other end, his power-play shot and his retrievals. At 6'6", his reach is considerably more than Makar, who is only 5'11".

"He's so good everywhere on the ice," Makar said of the Tampa Bay Lightning blueliner. "You look at his game, he's defensively sound. He can do everything, but at the same time, he contributes offensively, and I think that's what makes a good defenseman nowadays is being able to contribute on all ends of the ice. Overall, he's just a very complete player, and I really enjoy watching him."

Neither one has many weaknesses, and their strengths are endless. They play similar minutes, and they quarterback two of some of the best power plays in the league. One could win the Conn Smythe, while the other could win the Norris (Josi, the 2020 winner, is also a finalist).

Defensemen are so difficult to develop but so influential on the ice. A matchup like this in a championship series is as rare as Hedman and Makar themselves.

"Hopefully, it's fun for the fans," Makar said.

The New York Rangers' third line had been one of its most impactful throughout its run to the Eastern Conference Final. So when Kaapo Kakko, the winger who had typically played on the right of Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil was a healthy scratch for Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, many were understandably confused.

New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant was asked by ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan during the broadcast if he would take the viewers through the decision to scratch the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2019.

"Nope," Gallant said.

He doubled down following the 2-1 loss and subsequent elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I'm not going to talk about it," he said. "Now is not the time."

You could make the argument that he doesn't really owe the fans an explanation, though it wouldn't be a good one, because the people buying the tickets and tuning into games do deserve some reasoning. You could make the argument that Kakko's addition to the lineup would not have tilted the ice enough to make up for the embarrassing lack of offensive production.

Gallant may have informed his team of his decision and why he was making it before the game, but once Ryan Strome left the game with an injury that has been plaguing the forward since Game 5, it became an indefensible decision.

The loss ended what had previously been an exceptionally fun postseason run for a team built on a lot of young talent like Kakko. The Rangers looked destined for a Stanley Cup Final after taking a 2-0 lead in the series with two very convincing wins. But it all came to a screeching halt in Game 3 when the Lightning made adjustments and figured out how to expose New York's weaknesses. The Rangers never recovered.

"It's just denial," a tearful Mika Zibanejad said. "I'm empty right now. I don't know what to say."

The biggest problem was the Rangers' five-on-five play. Their exceptional power play helped propel them to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final, but when the calls didn't go their way, they were hamstrung by their inability to generate even-strength offense. The Blueshirts had no problem scoring at five-on-five in Games 1 and 2, but they scored only once in the last four games.

The issues were magnified in Game 6.

The Rangers were flat and lifeless from the start. Tampa Bay controlled 65.9 percent of the shot share and 73.7 percent of the expected goals throughout the game. It was scoreless through the first period, but the Bolts took a lead in the second. Frank Vatrano, a key trade-deadline acquisition for New York, tied the game in the third with a power-play goal, but Lightning captain Steven Stamkos scored his second goal of the game just 21 seconds later.

Igor Shesterkin was masterful once again, but he could only do so much when the skaters in front of him were bleeding chances. The Vezina and Hart Trophy finalist saved 60.4 goals above expected in 73 games this season (including the regular season and the postseason), and because of him, the Rangers had as good of a chance as any.

But the Lightning made the adjustments necessary to shut down the top line. The lines were shuffled in Game 6, but Gallant still couldn't get Zibanejad's line away from the Tampa Bay checking line of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.

"As the series progressed, we got better and better, and I think tonight may have been our best game overall," Killorn said. "That's important in a Stanley Cup run. It's typically the team that improves the most throughout a run that typically ends up winning."

Gallant was outmaneuvered and outcoached by future Hall of Fame Jon Cooper. Gallant, who is typically regarded as a well-liked players' coach who tends to make a lot of decisions by feel, didn't appear to have that feel as the series went on.

The club is in a good spot moving forward, but there are some clear Xs and Os issues that they will need to right next season and Gallant isn't exactly known as a great X's and O's coach. The Rangers' struggles at five-on-five throughout the season must be resolved.

Now the Rangers have a summer of uncertainty, as some of those young players are due for new contracts, and the club is about to feel the salary-cap squeeze. Kakko himself is a restricted free agent. Maybe it's time they trade him and let him figure out his development with another organization.

There are also questions about the veteran group as the team hits the offseason. Strome might have played his final game in a Rangers jersey. The club can't afford to retain all of its deadline acquisitions, like Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun. Jacob Trouba's $8 million contract, which runs through 2026, isn't looking quite as palatable right now.

The rebuild is not over. If this was a measuring stick series, then it's clear the Blueshirts are not stacking up with the last two Stanley Cup champions.

But if you want to take something positive from this series—and you should—it's that this long playoff run will be beneficial for the young core.

"You look back and we could've been done in five games in that first round. But we battled. It took everyone," defenseman Adam Fox said. "It's a nice young mix of guys in this room but also a good mix of older guys who help and lead the way for us. It was a great locker room. I think our battle when we were down in the series really showed that.

"Wish for a better ending, but definitely promising for our team."