DENVER — Going through the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning put the Colorado Avalanche at a sizeable expertise drawback going into the Stanley Cup Ultimate.
When the puck dropped, the Avalanche confirmed they may use their velocity to offset Tampa Bay’s gamers who've been right here, carried out that. And it doesn’t damage to have a man who additionally hoisted the Cup.
Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into time beyond regulation to provide Colorado a 4-3 victory in Recreation 1 on Wednesday evening and put the Avs up in a sequence that’s shaping as much as be a traditional. Burakovsky is one among solely two Colorado gamers with Stanley Cup rings, and that got here in helpful.
“I’ve been there, and I sort of know the state of affairs,” stated Burakovsky, who additionally scored two huge objectives in Recreation 7 of the East closing towards the Lightning in 2018 when he received all of it with Washington. “I’ve been although it, and I sort of know what to anticipate and the tempo and what’s at stake right here.”
The tempo? Livid. The stakes? Both Tampa Bay ending off the primary NHL three-peat in nearly 4 a long time or this Colorado core’s first championship after years of playoff disappointments.
The Avalanche with a quick begin how they'll use their velocity to knock even essentially the most seasoned opponents again on their heels. Backstopped by Darcy Kuemper, the no-doubt in spite of everything selection to start out in purpose now that he’s wholesome, the penalty kill was aggressive in going an ideal 3 for 3 towards the Lightning’s potent energy play.
“We had an excellent forecheck and we had been fairly good on clearing pucks once we had the possibility,” ahead Artturi Lehkonen stated.
An early penalty kill constructed momentum for Colorado, which opened the scoring on captain Gabriel Landeskog’s purpose 40 seconds after Josh Manson’s penalty expired. Manson — one among common supervisor Joe Sakic’s costly commerce deadline pickups — greater than made up for a holding the stick minor with a number of huge hits.
Lehkone, the Avalanche’s different deadline acquisition, additionally saved up his knack for scoring key objectives. He had their third purpose of the primary interval after Valeri Nichuskin scored the second as a part of a dominant efficiency all around the ice.
“Enormous X-factor,” coach Jared Bednar stated. “He’s been doing that kind of factor for us for a pair years now.”
Tampa Bay’s newest additions additionally performed a significant position, with Nick Paul outracing Colorado defenseman Jack Johnson to a unfastened puck for a purpose within the first that restricted the harm and saved the defending champs within the sport. Brandon Hagel, who has been banged up and was a query mark to play, received crushed to a unfastened puck by Landeskog, an uncharacteristic purpose for reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy to surrender by letting the preliminary shot sneak via beneath his left arm.
After all, the Lightning counterpunched.
In one other instance of what has made the Lightning the NHL’s greatest group 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 enjoying a very good group they usually’re not going to roll over and lay again,” Bednar stated. “They’re going to have push again.”
So did his Avalanche, clamping down with one other huge 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 shedding facet about the results of the sequence opener between two evenly matched opponents.
“There’s some optimistic indicators for us on this sport,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated. “However the best group received the sport, so give them credit score for pulling it out.”
The sector was rocking from the beginning of warmups for the primary Stanley Cup Ultimate sport within the metropolis in 2001 — additionally the final yr the Avalanche received the Stanley Cup, with Sakic serving as captain. Followers chanted, “We would like the Cup!” all through the leadup and at occasions through the sport, 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 sport since injuring his proper leg a month in the past.
Colorado has a sequence lead regardless of enjoying with out forwards Nazem Kadri (proper thumb) and Andrew Cogliano (proper hand), who had been injured final sequence in a sweep of Edmonton within the Western Convention closing.
The Avalanche swept Nashville within the first spherical, as effectively, and dispatched rival St. Louis in six earlier than taking out Connor McDavid and the Oilers. If something, Recreation 1 towards the Lightning confirmed this sequence received’t be simple for both group.
“I don’t suppose by a rustic mile we gave them our greatest sport,” Cooper stated. “To beat a group like that, we have to have higher in us.”
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