Darcy Kuemper

The train is always on time.

The main stories coming out of the Avs win in the 4th game of the series will be a lot of things. Jon Cooper is going to make sure that he moans about the Too Many Men Penalty that wasn't a factor in the game. One too many injuries and running out of bullets is what the Lightning will have to deal with. If Kadri's goal hadn't been ruled out, the Avs would have found another attack and they would have joined the fight.

The Avs will point to the first period of the game, when Kuemper pulled the Avs out of a sling when they needed it, and when and if they are parading down the street.

The best period of the series may have been that one. Within the first minute of the game, they were up by a goal, as Anthony Cirelli's line was all over the Avs. Cooper is rich because the Bolts' opener came with Kuemper's mask knocked off, which resulted in an automatic whistle. It is acceptable that the refs didn't blow their whistles, but it would have been better if they had killed it off.

The lighting outshot the Avs in the first. In 20 minutes, they had piled up over one thousand xG. There were seven high danger chances. They only got six more the rest of the game.

The Avs were in it. They could have been buried by the time the 2nd period started, but he held the fort like he did in the first two games of the series. The Avs turned the game around from the beginning of the 2nd on. The only thing this Avs team needs is someone to iron out the few rough patches they face rather than a goalie who has to sacrifice his life for the sake of the team. It is hard to believe that all that is required is against the two-time champ and the most we-got-this-team in years. The Avs are the force that beats up the Bolts.

The NHL wanted to cover their tracks.

This is more of a controversy than it should be. Kadri wasn't coming on for the extra D-man. The Avs didn't gain an advantage if that player was on the bench or at the boards. Or... y'know...

Cooper is upset because he was down to five D-men after Cernak's injury and Sergachev and McDonagh were too gassed to cover the middle of the ice. It won't get Cooper where he wants to go. If he wants to taint the Avs' win here, he will find a lot of people arguing that the Lightning don't have a legit Cup.

The Avs have three opportunities to start their era in the wake of the Bolts.

Puttin’ on a Sho’

There will be a lot of conversations about Ohtani. He will be in the last year of his contract with the Angels. An automatic re-signing isn't a given since Ohtani wants to win If the Angels can bring themselves to do something like that, there will be discussions about what he should get in a trade. What he could sell on the open market? If the Angels couldn't win with him, some people will try and claim he's not worth that much.

It's time to leave that for a while. Ohtani has had two amazing nights in baseball. He scored eight runs on Tuesday and tied the game in the 9th with a punch of the sky.

It hasn't been done yet. The most gifted with the language is this one. It is definitely not me. It is not possible to do more on a field in a couple of games. You can't do more in a two game period. It is confusing.