After an entertaining Game Four in which the Avalanche prevailed in overtime from Nazim Kadri’s first goal in the Stanley Cup Finals, Colorado will look to solidify their place in history and be crowned Stanley Cup Champions at home on Friday evening.
It was a very tight-checking game between these two teams, but ultimately the Avs looked faster and were able to win a game on the road in Tampa. Game Five will be a fantastic atmosphere in Denver at Ball Arena.
Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET; viewers can check it out on ABC. Currently, the Avalanche are the money line favorites with -179 odds, while the Lightning are the +161 underdog for Game Five.
Can Tampa Bay Stay Alive?
The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning finds themselves in a do-or-die situation entering Game Five. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete the job at home to even the series. However, this team is led by veterans who have been in this situation before.
To stay alive in this series, the Lightning will have to lean heavily on their All-Star netminder. Andrei Vasilevskiy will once again be called upon to steal a game in this series. In the 2022 NHL Playoffs, Vasilevskiy has a 13-8 record with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Expect him to do everything in his power to keep this series alive.
Along with Vasilevskiy, expect Captain Steven Stamkos to instill his leadership for the Bolts. Stamkos has seen this before and will try to avoid a season-ending loss on the road. If Tampa wants to stay alive, they will have to dig down deep to find out how much they have left in the tank.
Colorado Aims to Make History
Colorado has been one of the best teams in the NHL all season long, and at tonight’s game, they have a chance to make history and become the best team in the 2021-22 NHL season. They have a potent offensive ability throughout their roster, and they are creating offensive mismatches any chance they can against Tampa.
One of the leaders of this team, Nathan Mackinnon, will try to take a step toward history on Friday night. Mackinnon is arguably a top-five player in the National Hockey League and has been playing like it this postseason. He currently has 12 goals and nine assists so far in the playoffs. He is playing like a man on a mission with every intention to win a Stanley Cup.
The Colorado Avalanche has put itself in a formidable situation. They are on home ice with a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. They have earned this chance, but now comes the hard part. As the old saying goes, the last game to win is the hardest.
Pick and Prediction
Even though the odds are looking at the Avalanche being the heavy favorite, fans should expect this to be a tight hard-fought battle in Game Five. The atmosphere will be something out of a storybook as the Colorado fans will be doing everything they can to help their team win a Stanley Cup.
All in all, the Game Four defeat for the Lightning hurt. It was a hard-fought game in which Tampa gave everything they could. The major question for them is if they will still be feeling the effects of the overtime loss.
Colorado will have energy, confidence, and adrenaline on home ice with every intention to win the Stanley Cup on Friday.
The Colorado Avalanche at -179 is the pick for Game Five of the Stanley Cup. Expect the cup to be raised in Denver on Friday evening.
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