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Stanley Cup Final: Avalanche beat Lightning in OT Game 1

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 might use their pace to offset Tampa Bay’s gamers who’ve been right here, accomplished that. And it would not harm to have a man who additionally hoisted the Cup.

Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into extra time to provide Colorado a 4-3 victory in Recreation 1 on Wednesday night time and put the Avs up in a sequence that is 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 have been there, and I type of know the state of affairs,” stated Burakovsky, who additionally scored two massive 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 type 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 virtually 4 many years or this Colorado core’s first championship after years of playoff disappointments.

The Avalanche with a quick begin how they will use their pace to knock even probably 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 is wholesome, the penalty kill was aggressive in going an ideal 3 for 3 towards the Lightning’s potent energy play.

“We had an incredible 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 objective 40 seconds after Josh Manson’s penalty expired. Manson — one among basic 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 stored 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 stated. “He’s been doing that kind of factor for us for a pair years now.”

Tampa Bay’s newest additions additionally performed a serious function, with Nick Paul outracing Colorado defenceman Jack Johnson to a unfastened puck for a objective within the first that restricted the injury and stored the defending champs within the sport. Brandon Hagel, who has been banged up and was a query mark to play, bought crushed to a unfastened puck by Landeskog, an uncharacteristic objective for reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy to surrender by letting the preliminary shot sneak via underneath his left arm.

In fact, the Lightning counterpunched.

In one other instance of what has made the Lightning the NHL’s finest 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 very good staff they usually’re not going to roll over and lay again,” Bednar stated. “They are going to have push again.”

So did his Avalanche, clamping down with one other massive kill within the third interval to complete what Landeskog referred to as a “resilient win.”

Colorado outshot Tampa Bay 38-23, and there was no argument from the dropping facet about the results of the sequence opener between two evenly matched opponents.

“There’s some constructive indicators for us on this sport,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated. “However the fitting staff 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 throughout 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 centre 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 taking part in 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 will not be simple for both staff.

“I do not assume by a rustic mile we gave them our greatest sport,” Cooper stated. “To beat a staff like that, we have to have higher in us.”

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