Stanley Cup Final Notebook: Nathan MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri, and more take optional skate before Game 4

We remember the outcome of Game 3, but today was a new day for the Colorado Avalanche. They hosted an optional skate in Tampa Bay ahead of Game 4. Nathan MacKinnon was first on the ice with others trickling in – Landeskog, Rantanen, Compher, and more as well as some of the extras. Notably present was Nazem Kadri, stickhandling and skating once again with the team.

Andre Burakovsky has not joined the team in Tampa. He received treatment for his hand injury in Denver and is expected to skate tomorrow if not as well as today.

Erik Johnson, Devon Toews, and Jared Bednar addressed the media following practice. The unknown status of both Kadri and Burakovsky means no guarantee for either of their availability. EJ said that for Kadri, a return is a “definite possibility in the next couple of games.”  Kadri has appeared to grow stronger and improve with every practice, but he is reportedly not back to taking shots at 100%.

Mistakes Were Made

MacKinnon’s postgame comments after Game 3 captured a thoughtful attitude that focused on the bigger picture, “We’re playing the best team. They won back to back. We knew they were too proud to go away. We still feel good. We feel good about our team from top to bottom, and we gotta be ready to go for Game 4. We’re so excited to be here. We have 24 warriors on our team so we’re not worried about toughness. We go into the game resilient. That’s our mentality. [There’s] no time for doubt.”

Bednar, in a similar vein, maintained a level-headed response in preparation for Game 4.

“I’ll reiterate a little bit of what I said last night: we did a lot of good things in generating a lot of chances on the offensive side that we didn’t capitalize on like we did in Game 2,” Bednar explained. “We had some breakdowns in Game 1 that we didn’t love, and I said we’d get back into it. We got loose a couple of times and they capitalized on it. Our guys are well aware of some of the breakdowns we had last night, some of the things we have to clean up, [and] some things that we’ll try and do differently.”

A question about Toews and Makar prompted a response that pulled the focus back to teamwide effort and execution. “I don’t like [to] separate individuals out of it. Like we talked about with [respect to] Darcy yesterday, our whole teams gonna bounce back and be better than they were,” said Bednar.

Devon Toews also addressed the crosscheck to Nikita Kucherov which resulted in a minor penalty during the game. “He’s a good player. I was trying to play him tight. [With] good players, you have to try to take away the time and space, and that’s what I was trying to do. If he got hurt on it, it’s unfortunate. I’m not trying to hurt anyone out here,” he explained. Kucherov ultimately did leave the game, but Jon Cooper is hopeful he will play in Game 4. Toews will not face any supplemental discipline.

Goaltending

Last night, Darcy Kuemper was pulled midway through the second period after allowing 5 goals on 22 shots. Pavel Francouz came in as relief and made 9 of 10 saves despite a Corey Perry powerplay goal scored against. Goaltending is an unavoidable topic and concern for Game 4. Bednar won’t say who will get the start, but here’s what we do know.

“Darcy has been pulled in the regular season before [and] he’s responded great,” Erik Johnson explained. “It’s 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 Darcy has responded every time he’s been pulled. It was probably more: Bedsy wanted to give us a little bit of a jumpstart by pulling him and [putting] Frankie in. Regardless of who plays, like you’ve seen all playoffs, both guys have stepped up in these situations. Whoever’s in the net, we’re confident in. I expect Darcy to bounce back like he always has.”

“[He’s been]  really versatile for me,” Bednar said of Francouz. “All season long, once he got healthy [he’d] play [in] stretches of games, he’d have big breaks in between games, and [then] come in, in relief. He’s continued that in the playoffs. He’s been a really steady, calming influence on our team. I’m really happy with what he’s been able to do – especially in the playoffs. He keeps himself ready.”

Bednar also described hockey as a game of mistakes while answering a question about Devon Toews. It seems to be a reoccuring theme that is acknowledged in the locker room.

Another fundamental and important message? “We just believe in each other. We believe in what’s gotten us to this point in the process that we’re [still on] to try and win the Cup,” EJ said.

Cale Makar Wins the Norris Trophy

Cale Makar was just named the 2021-22 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, beating out Roman Josi and Victor Hedman for the award.

It was a close finish, especially with respect to runner-up Roman Josi. Bednar talked about his (unofficial) bid for Makar earlier today before the results were announced.

“We’ve seen him play this way from day one of the season. He’s a much better player this year than he was last year. You watch the impact he has on the games that we play, and for me it’s an easy decision. That’s not to take away from the other guys that are up for the award. They’re all very good players who’ve had very good seasons. This guy is elite. The job he does for us offensively, defensively, watching him play, how dynamic he is: he’s the best defenseman in the game right now.”

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The Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning will play Game 4 on Wednesday, June 22 at Amelie Arena at 6 P.M. MST.