Dealing with the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning put the Colorado Avalanche at a sizeable expertise drawback going into the Stanley Cup remaining.
When the puck dropped, the Avalanche confirmed they may use their pace to offset Tampa Bay’s gamers who've been right here, achieved that. And it doesn’t harm to have a man who additionally hoisted the Cup.
André Burakovsky scored 1:23 into time beyond regulation to present Colorado a 4-3 victory in Recreation 1 on Wednesday evening and put the Avs up in a collection that’s shaping as much as be a traditional. Burakovsky is one in all solely two Colorado gamers with Stanley Cup rings, and that got here in useful.
“I’ve been there, and I type of know the scenario,” mentioned Burakovsky, who additionally scored two massive objectives in Recreation 7 of the East remaining in opposition to the Lightning in 2018 when he gained all of it with Washington. “I’ve been although it, and I type of know what to anticipate and the tempo and what’s at stake right here.”
OT WINNER FROM ANDRE BURAKOVSKY!!! 🔥 #StanleyCuppic.twitter.com/Bp3mQJyUyV
— NHL (@NHL) June 16, 2022
The tempo? Livid. The stakes? Both Tampa Bay ending off the primary NHL three-peat in virtually 4 many years or this Colorado core’s first championship after years of playoff disappointments.
The Avalanche with a quick begin how they'll use their pace to knock even essentially the most seasoned opponents again on their heels. Backstopped by Darcy Kuemper, the no-doubt in any case alternative to start out in objective now that he’s wholesome, the penalty kill was aggressive in going an ideal 3 for 3 in opposition to the Lightning’s potent energy play.
“We had an ideal forecheck and we had been fairly good on clearing pucks once we had the prospect,” ahead Artturi Lehkonen mentioned.
An early penalty kill constructed momentum for Colorado, which opened the scoring on captain Gabriel Landeskog’s objective 40 seconds after Josh Manson’s penalty expired. Manson – one in all common supervisor Joe Sakic’s costly commerce deadline pickups – greater than made up for a holding the stick minor with a number of massive hits.
Lehkone, the Avalanche’s different deadline acquisition, additionally saved up his knack for scoring key objectives. He had their third objective of the primary interval after Valeri Nichuskin scored the second as a part of a dominant efficiency all around the ice.
“Big X-factor,” coach Jared Bednar mentioned. “He’s been doing that sort of factor for us for a pair years now.”
Tampa Bay’s newest additions additionally performed a significant function, with Nick Paul outracing Colorado defenseman Jack Johnson to a unfastened puck for a objective within the first that restricted the injury and saved the defending champs within the recreation. Brandon Hagel, who has been banged up and was a query mark to play, obtained crushed to a unfastened puck by Landeskog, an uncharacteristic objective for reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy to surrender by letting the preliminary shot sneak by means of below his left arm.
In fact, the Lightning counterpunched.
In one other instance of what has made the Lightning the NHL’s greatest staff over the previous three years, they turned the tide within the second interval with objectives by Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev 48 seconds aside.
“We’re taking part in a extremely good staff and so they’re not going to roll over and lay again,” Bednar mentioned. “They’re going to have push again.”
So did his Avalanche, clamping down with one other massive kill within the third interval to complete what Landeskog known as a “resilient win.”
Colorado outshot Tampa Bay 38-23, and there was no argument from the dropping facet about the results of the collection opener between two evenly matched opponents.
“There’s some constructive indicators for us on this recreation,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “However the fitting staff gained the sport, so give them credit score for pulling it out.”
The world was rocking from the beginning of warmups for the primary Stanley Cup remaining recreation within the metropolis in 2001 – additionally the final 12 months the Avalanche gained the Stanley Cup, with Sakic serving as captain. Followers chanted, “We would like the Cup!” all through the leadup and at occasions through the recreation, which was a showcase of the high-scoring hockey that has been the usual all season.
Tampa Bay’s most prolific goal-scorer from every of the previous two title runs was again, with heart Brayden Level returning to play his first recreation since injuring his proper leg a month in the past.
Colorado has a collection lead regardless of taking part in with out forwards Nazem Kadri (proper thumb) and Andrew Cogliano (proper hand), who had been injured final collection in a sweep of Edmonton within the Western Convention remaining.
The Avalanche swept Nashville within the first spherical, as properly, and dispatched rival St Louis in six earlier than taking out Connor McDavid and the Oilers. If something, Recreation 1 in opposition to the Lightning confirmed this collection gained’t be straightforward for both staff.
“I don’t suppose by a rustic mile we gave them our greatest recreation,” Cooper mentioned. “To beat a staff like that, we have to have higher in us.”
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