The Colorado Avalanche around ice hockey pro Nico Sturm is only one win away from winning the Stanley Cup. Also thanks to a template from Augsburg, the team from Denver got a 3: 2 (0: 1, 1: 1, 1: 0) after extra time at defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was the third win in the NHL Finals series, and a team needs four to win the championship.
Before Nazem Kadri’s decisive goal, Sturm’s second assist of the playoffs allowed extra time. His part in the equalizer at the beginning of the last period was so great that the goal to make it 2-2 was initially attributed to him. The NHL then led his teammate Andrew Cogliano as the scorer, who had deflected Sturm’s shot.
The Lightning had previously scored 1-0 after just 36 seconds through Anthony Cirelli. Nathan MacKinnon equalized and Victor Hedman gave the hosts a second lead. In extra time, Andrei Vasilevsky had several very strong moments in the Lightning goal before he had to admit defeat to Kadri.
NHL: Avalanche winning scorer Kadri happy
“It was a big win. We fought back,” Kadri commented on US television and said to the brief confusion after his goal: “I thought he held it for a second, then people came up to me.” The puck got stuck in the upper part of the goal after his shot.
The fifth and possibly last of the maximum of seven games between the two teams will take place on Saturday night (02:00 a.m. CEST) in Denver. The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup for the past two years and are seeking their fourth NHL championship overall. Colorado could become champions for the third time. Sturm would be the fifth German professional overall to win the title in the North American league.