Stanley Cup final: Lightning-Avalanche Game 4 live updates

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The Avalanche pushed the Lightning to the brink of elimination with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday at Amalie Arena.

Kadri scored with Tampa Bay trying to make a change, getting around defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and beating goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy under the right arm 12:02 into the extra period.

Colorado will take a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 Friday in Denver. The Lightning now will need to win the final three games to claim their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Nico Sturm tied the game at 2 less than three minutes into the third period by putting a shot off Andrew Cogliano’s right knee into the net.

Anthony Cirelli scored 36 seconds into the game to give the Lightning a quick 1-0 lead.

Victor Hedman and Nathan MacKinnon exchanged goals in the second period, which ended with Tampa Bay in front 2-1. Hedman’s goal came at 10:42 of the second, about 5-1/2 minutes after MacKinnon tied the game at 1 with his first goal of the series.

Here’s how it happened:

Overtime

Andrei Vasilevskiy stops Valeri Nichushkin with left leg from point-blank range after Jan Rutta partially blocks the shot

Nick Paul shot from left circle blocked by Darcy Kuemper after Bowen Byram lost his stick

Mikhail Sergachev breaks up Compher pass for Andrew Cogliano

Josh Manson gets back to prevent breakaway opportunity for Alex Killorn

Vasilevskiy stops Logan O’Connor with the glove after he got behind the Lightning defense

Devon Toews hits the right post after his shot was tipped by Killorn

Landeskog shot from left circle deflected wide by Vasilevskiy off feed from Nichushkin

Bowen Byram shot hits the crossbar

Vasilevskiy makes glove save on Manson one-timer from the center point

Hagel shot from slot kocked down by Kuemper

Manson sharp-angle shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Erik Johnson shot gloved by Vasilevskiy

Rantanen shot blocked out of play

Hagel clears puck out of the zone after extended time in Lightning zone

AVALANCHE GOAL: Nazem Kadri scores the winner on a drive to the net off of a change, getting around Sergachev and beating Vasilevskiy under the right arm. Avalanche 3, Lightning 2.

(Avalanche win 3-2, lead series 3-1)

Third period

Anthony Cirelli back on the ice, but Brandon Hagel takes the opening faceoff

Erik Johnson shot blocked by Steven Stamkos

Stamkos blocks another shot

Alex Newhook shot deflected into the corner

AVALANCHE GOAL: Nico Sturm gets rebound of his own tip-in shot and shoots the puck off Andrew Cogliano ‘s right leg past Vasilevskiy. Lightning 2, Avalanche 2 (2:53)

Jan Rutta pokes the puck off Cale Makar’s stick on the rush

Nikita Kucherov hits the post

Erik Johnson shot blocked by Steven Stamkos, who is slow to get back to his feet

Corey Perry slap shot saved by Kuemper

Ryan McDonagh wrist shot saved by Kuemper

Rutta shot blocked by Landeskog

Kucherov tries to set up Stamkos for a tip in front

Hagel just misses connecting with Killorn going to the net as a backchecking MacKinnon gets his stick on the puck

Kuemper makes glove save on Rutta drive from right point

Cirelli sharp-angle shot off the rush misses the net

Kuemper stops Hedman shot from the point and Paul follow-up on the backhand

Compher blocks Hedman shot from the point

McDonagh ices the puck, bringing the faceoff into the Lightning end (4 seconds left)

(Lightning and Avalanche tied at two after regulation)

Second period

Anthony Cirelli backhander caroms off Darcy Kuemper into the corner

Zach Bogosian shot blocked by Erik Johnson

Corey Perry blocks Cale Makar shot

Makar wrist shot saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy

Nathan MacKinnon snap shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Artturi Lehkonen shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Victor Hedman penalized for interference against Nico Sturm

MacKinnon one-timer from left circle misses wide

Makar shot from center point goes off back wall

MacKinnon blast from point knocks down Cernak

Mikko Rantanen shot blocked

Makar shot blocked

AVALANCHE GOAL: Rantanen shot deflects off Vasilevskiy and then MacKinnon’s skate into the net. Lightning 1, Avalanche 1 (5:17)

Bowen Byram penalized for hooking Victor Hedman close to the Colorado net

Nikita Kucherov shot from right circle saved by Kuemper

Palat pass in front blocked

Darren Helm clears the puck out of the zone

Palat tip-in saved by Kuemper

Stamkos whiffs on one-timer fro left circle

Corey Perry tight-angle shot saved by Kuemper

Mikhail Sergachev shot blocked by J.T. Compher

Avalanche kill the penalty; Lightning had two shots on goal during power play

LIGHTNING GOAL! Hedman skates unimpeded from the neutral zone and scores on a backhander from the right faceoff dot, beating Kuemper over the leg pad on the stick side. Lightning 2, Avalanche 1.

Steven Stamkos penalized for hooking

MacKinnon shot blocked by Sergachev, who appears to be in some pain

Makar pass from center point goes off Bellemare’s skate

Killorn knocks the puck out of the zone

MacKinnon wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy

MacKinnon slap shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Byram wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Cernak back on Lightning bench

Valeri Nichushkin shot blocked by Stamkos

Josh Manson picks off pass in front for Pat Maroon

Sergachev sharp-angle shot goes off Kuemper’s arm

Hagel shot blocked by Alex Newhook

Anthony Cirelli goes off the ice and down the runway after falling and landing on his right arm (1:17 left)

Makar shot blocked by Ross Colton

Kuemper stops Colton tip from the crease as the period expires

(Lightning lead 2-1 after two periods)

First period

Alex Killorn wrist shot saved by Darcy Kuemper

Anthony Cirelli tip saved by Kuemper

Erik Cernak wrist shot saved by Kuemper

LIGHTNING GOAL! Anthony Cirelli flips the puck over Kuemper’s stick from the crease. Lightning 1, Avalanche 0 (0:36)

Valeri Nichushkin wrist shot saved by Andrei Vasilevskiy

Ondrej Palat wrist shot saved by Kuemper

Victor Hedman shot blocked by Cale Makar

Josh Manson shot blocked by Mikhail Sergachev

Artturi Lehkonen shot blocked by Ryan McDonagh

Makar shot blocked by Brandon Hagel

Devon Toews shot blocked by Palat

Cirelli wrist shot saved by Kuemper

Nazem Kadri shot deflects off Steven Stamkos in on Vasilevskiy

Lehkonen wrist shot saved by Vasileveskiy

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare shot blocked by Erik Johnson

Jan Rutta shot saved by Kuemper

Toews shot blocked by Palat

Rutta wrist shot blocked by Alex Newhook; strong backcheck by Riley Nash prevents breakaway

Nash forces the puck out of the Lightning zone

Kuemper stops Nick Paul from low slot after Nathan MacKinnon turnover in his own end

Toews shot from slot blocked by Sergachev, who limps back to bench

Toews shot blocked by Killorn

Kuemper makes glove save on Stamkos wrister from slot

Zach Bogosian whiffs on shot from right circle

Bellemare shot from center point goes off Bowe Byram into the corner

Darren Helm penalized interference against Riley Nash, putting Lightning on the power play

Nikita Kucherov shot blocked by Kuemper

Cale Makar shot saved by Vasileveskiy

Maker wrist shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Killorn backhander from low in right circle stopped and smothered by Kuemper

Avalanche kill the penalty

Cirelli wrist shot saved by Kuemper

Cernak shot turned aside

Cirelli gets knocked down at the offensive blue line, but no penalty on the play

Shot in final seconds goes through the legs of Kuemper and out the other side

(Lightning lead 1-0 after one period)

Pregame scouting report

The Lightning have been talking about making history all season long.

Now, they have another chance to do so.

Complete their comeback from a two-game series deficit, and the Bolts will become the first team since the Islanders of 1980-83 to win three or more consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

They also can become the first team in league history to come back from a 2-0 series deficit in a best-of-7 series in back-to-back rounds after first doing so against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference final.

But first, they have to get the series against the Avalanche back to even.

The Lightning took the first step with a commanding 6-2 win Monday in Game 3. They have a chance to tie the series tonight on home ice, where they have won eight straight playoff games. Tampa Bay is 8-1 this postseason at Amalie Arena. Game 3 was the Avalanche’s first road loss of the playoffs after seven straight wins.

Head coach Jon Cooper seemed to suggest that center Brayden Point will be out for the 12th time in the past 14 games when he said this morning that he anticipates the Lightning will play the same lineup as in Game 3. Right wing Nikita Kucherov, who left the ice shortly after taking a cross-check from behind late in Monday’s game, is expected to play.

Forward Andre Burakovsky, who remains in Colorado receiving treatment, will be out of the Avalanche lineup for a second straight game. Forward Nazem Kadri, who has 14 points, including six goals, in 13 playoff games, is back in the lineup after missing four games following hand surgery.

Darcy Kuemper, who was pulled in favor of Pavel Francouz in the second period of Game 3, will start in goal.

Game night scene

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