The Lead
After a deflating 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Colorado Avalanche desperately needed a bounce-back effort to avoid losing the 2-0 advantage they'd gained early in the series.
With every passing minute in the first overtime period, the pressure mounted — and so did the Avs' pressure on offense. Then, with about eight minutes left, the dam broke, as Nazem Kadri lofted the puck under the arm of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for the game-winning goal.
Broncos players Russell Wilson, Dalton Risner, Garett Bolles, Brandon McManus and Justin Strnad reacted to the electric moment on Twitter.
The Avalanche will return home for Game 5 — and a shot to win the Stanley Cup — on Friday.
Below the Fold
Speaking of championship final series, NFL.com writers picked a current NFL player who they expect to bolster their all-time star status in 2022 a la Steph Curry, as he did to secure a NBA title for the Golden State Warriors. Marc Ross selected Wilson.
"He has become one of the league's top QBs (nine-time Pro Bowler) over his 10 seasons in Seattle, but many considered his Super Bowl win the product of a dominant, Legion of Boom-led defense," Ross wrote. "So in his first season in Denver, Wilson (who'll face the doubters like Curry did before he won Finals MVP for the first time) will once again show his overall brilliance on the field, and if he carries a loaded Broncos team to the Super Bowl and earns the league MVP award, there is no doubt he will rise in the all-time QB rankings."
