Colorado Avalanche

It's the third straight year in which a team will try to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to claim the championship. The Colorado Avalanche, in their first finals ...

Note that the Avs and Lightning have combined for 13 empty-net goals this postseason, which rank second and first, respectively, according to morehockeystats.com. Both teams have had their share of blowout wins, which means covering the spread might be more difficult in this series. Their two regular-season matchups produced only 11 goals, and the over/under is currently set at six goals, though the over is slightly favored at 1.87 to 1.95 as of Sunday evening. Asides from the Brayden Point watch and the Lightning’s cadre of depth players who have yet to make an impact on offense, perhaps more eyes should be on Ryan McDonagh. The veteran defender has played second fiddle to Victor Hedman, but it’s a really important role because they lack depth on defense and he’s their best penalty killer. It’s an important question because the series against the Rangers looked gruelling, and the Lightning had to lean very hard on their top offensive players to pull through. The Lightning have adopted some of that personality, and note that their two matchups against the Avs during the season were all decided by one-goal. The Lightning’s chances obviously improve if Brayden Point is back in the lineup, and he doesn’t have to be a full-strength to make a difference; Stamkos was barely able to play against the Stars, playing one game totalling five shifts and 2:47 of ice time in Game 3, but his lone goal on his only shot provided a huge lift. It’s worth noting that the Avs and Lightning rank first and second in net penalties at 10 and seven, respectively, though Lightning games have featured far more whistles. It’s highly unlikely either Kuemper or Francouz will outplay Andrei Vasilevskiy, so their job will be to at least mitigate the damage done by the Lightning offense, which has still yet to fulfill its potential with a handful of key players yet to make any contributions. The Avs have been the favorites all season and they’ve lived up to expectations after getting ousted by the Golden Knights in Round 2 last season after blowing a 2-0 lead. They are the two most important players on the team, and the burden on them to generate offense despite facing the toughest matchups will be even heavier since Nazem Kadri is not expected to be available to start the series. That has not happened very often in the cap era or in the past three seasons; with all due respect to the Stars and Canadiens, both went on surprising Cinderella runs to clinch their Finals berth, and the Blues were one of the biggest underdogs in league history. It's the third straight year in which a team will try to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to claim the championship.

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper will return from injury and start Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

In six appearances these playoffs, Francouz has registered a .906 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average. Francouz started Games 2, 3 and 4 as well, securing victories in all three, including a 24-save shutout in Game 2. On Tuesday, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said Kuemper was fully healthy.

The Tampa Bay Lighting look for a three-peat while the Colorado Avalanche seek their third Stanley Cup in as many trips. Here are some of the best sights ...

The third Colorado goal came on a 5-on-3 power play, another malfunction for the Lightning. In the Eastern Conference finals, they faced a New York Rangers power play that was statistically the best in the playoffs. Colorado is 6-1 when scoring first this postseason, and the Lightning never trailed by two goals at any point in last year's Stanley Cup win. It was the only happy accident in the first period for Tampa Bay. -- Greg Wyshynski The third malfunction was on the Lightning's own power play. Even a goal by Nick Paul didn't break the Avalanche's confidence through the rest of a first period they (mostly) dominated, as they responded with a power-play score just five minutes later. It took less than two minutes for Colorado to take control of the game and put the two-time champs on their heels. Early in the frame, Josh Manson was called for holding the stick. Kucherov slithered through the defense and found Palat on the doorstep to cut the lead to 3-2. You want to play a bananas firewagon offensive game with six goals scored in the first 35 minutes? He and Ondrej Palat entered the Avalanche zone on a 2-on-2. Colorado has relied heavily on its depth throughout the postseason and Nichushkin is a big part of that. With the action starting in Denver, there's a possibility for fans to see stars rink-side, experience new stadium cuisine and experience more scenes from Ball Arena.

A showdown of two NHL heavyweights, two teams, which were considered as favorites before the start of the season and are arguably two of the best NHL teams in ...

The goaltending is the biggest Colorado’s weakness so far and with Andrei Vasilevskiy the Bolts have their ace in a hole. The Lightning’s coaching staff also didn’t want to break their two top lines, which worked out pretty effectively against the New York Rangers. The Anthony Cirelli line had been especially dominant in the previous round: shutting down the opponent with 66.67 CF% and 76.80 xGF at 5-on-5 and not allowing a single goal against. For the fourth time in a row this postseason, the Lightning don’t have a home ice advantage in the series, opening the Stanley Cup Final in Denver. Out of their four previous appearances in the final, the Lightning lost three times in Game 1, most recently against Dallas in 2020, but still ended up winning two of those three series. Despite the Lightning’s ability to bounce back in the series, winning on the road would be pivotal for the team as getting out of 2-0 hole against the Avalanche would be extremely difficult. Playing on the third line would lighten his usage, allowing him to adjust better to the game pace after missing two previous round due to the injury. For the first time in several years (no offence to the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens) we’re getting the Stanley Cup that many fans have dreamt about.

The Athletic has you covered with everything you need to know for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.Live ScoreLightning 1, Avalanche 3 (1st)(Photo: Ron ...

That 2009 SCF was first Final rematch since Islanders Oilers from 1983 and 1984. It is not required to be won by a player from the Cup champion. According to ESPN’s broadcast, that was the first five-hole goal Vasilevskiy’s allowed this postseason We rightfully make a ton out of how he can be a game-changer, but don’t forget that his line is stacked with two-way talent on both wings in Gabriel Landeskog and Val Nichushkin The Lightning trail 2-1.— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) pic.twitter.com/aVfp0PbYoe June 16, 2022 Think the Lightning are patting themselves on the back for that deadline add? 5-on-3 power play for the Avalanche for 1:33 is a pretty massive opportunity. Nice set-up from Mikko Rantanen via Gabriel Landeskog. Not a lot to do for the Lightning against that sort of talent on a 5-on-3. END 1: The Avalanche lead 3-1 against Tampa. They have dominated play thus far and lead 15-8 in shots. One goal Vasilevskiy probably wants to have back. Lightning rarely lays two eggs in a row in any series. It’s obviously a super small sample, but the Avalanche didn’t entirely shield Nathan MacKinnon from the Anthony Cirelli matchup.

Andre Burakovsky's early overtime goal gave the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

In fact, he helped spark the Lightning’s second-period comeback, stoning a prime look from Nichushkin, the shot caroming off his chest. Then Valeri Nichushkin added a second goal less than two minutes later and, after Tampa cut the lead to 2-1, Artturi Lehkonen extended it to 3-1 late in the first period with a five-on-three power play goal. But instead, it stood as a message that Colorado was ready from the jump.

Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the playoffs before Valeri Nichushkin netted his sixth to give the Avs a 2-0 lead ...

Overtime will be required for Game 1 as a scoreless third period between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning forced the extra frame as they remained tied 3-3. Overtime will be required for Game 1 as a scoreless third period between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning forced the extra frame as they remained tied 3-3. Colorado had a chance to take the game after a delay of game penalty to Pat Maroon gave the Avs a power play with under two minutes to play.

The Tampa Bay Lighting look for a three-peat while the Colorado Avalanche seek their third Stanley Cup in as many trips. Here are some of the best sights ...

The third Colorado goal came on a 5-on-3 power play, another malfunction for the Lightning. In the Eastern Conference finals, they faced a New York Rangers power play that was statistically the best in the playoffs. Colorado is 6-1 when scoring first this postseason, and the Lightning never trailed by two goals at any point in last year's Stanley Cup win. It was the only happy accident in the first period for Tampa Bay. -- Greg Wyshynski The third malfunction was on the Lightning's own power play. Even a goal by Nick Paul didn't break the Avalanche's confidence through the rest of a first period they (mostly) dominated, as they responded with a power-play score just five minutes later. It took less than two minutes for Colorado to take control of the game and put the two-time champs on their heels. Early in the frame, Josh Manson was called for holding the stick. Kucherov slithered through the defense and found Palat on the doorstep to cut the lead to 3-2. You want to play a bananas firewagon offensive game with six goals scored in the first 35 minutes? Colorado has relied heavily on its depth throughout the postseason and Nichushkin is a big part of that. With the action starting in Denver, there's a possibility for fans to see stars rink-side, experience new stadium cuisine and experience more scenes from Ball Arena. The Avalanche have had the Lightning's number this year, sweeping the season series 2-0.

There's no more arguing about if analytics are a useful tool in hockey. Not that there was much to argue anyway given that every team in the league employs ...

1.016 (2nd) 55.34 (2nd) 130-58-19 (2nd) 53.14 (7th) 57.97 (1st) 55.22 (1st) 101.5 (3rd) 52.88 (8th) 53.96 (3rd) 51.72 (9th) 137-52-19 (1st) 54.01 (2nd)

Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into overtime and the Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion Lightning ...

Fans chanted, “We want the Cup!” throughout the leadup and at times during the game, which was a showcase of the high-scoring hockey that has been the standard all season. That set the stage for the first of what should be many fantastic finishes in a series between evenly matched opponents. “I don’t think by a country mile we gave them our best game,” Cooper said. The final kill featured a crucial save by goaltender Darcy Kuemper and a series of clears by Norris Trophy finalist defenceman Cale Makar. “There’s some positive signs for us in this game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. Burakovsky is one of only two Avalanche players who have won the Cup.

DENVER (AP) — Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-3 victory over the two-time ...

Fans chanted, “We want the Cup!” throughout the leadup and at times during the game, which was a showcase of the high-scoring hockey that has been the standard all season. That set the stage for the first of what should be many fantastic finishes in a series between evenly matched opponents. “There’s some positive signs for us in this game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. Brandon Hagel, who has been banged up and was a question mark to play, got beaten to a loose puck by Landeskog, an uncharacteristic goal for reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy to give up by letting the initial shot sneak through under his left arm. The final kill featured a crucial save by goaltender Darcy Kuemper and a series of clears by Norris Trophy finalist defenseman Cale Makar. Burakovsky is one of only two Avalanche players who have won the Cup.

Colorado Avalanche beat Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final against Lightning on Andre Burakovsky OT goal.

Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-3 victory over the two-time defending champion ...

Brandon Hagel, who has been banged up and was a question mark to play, got beaten to a loose puck by Landeskog, an uncharacteristic goal for reigning playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy to give up by letting the initial shot sneak through under his left arm. Fans chanted, “We want the Cup!” throughout the leadup and at times during the game, which was a showcase of the high-scoring hockey that has been the standard all season. The Avalanche with a fast start how they can use their speed to knock even the most seasoned opponents back on their heels. Manson — one of general manager Joe Sakic’s expensive trade deadline pickups — more than made up for a holding the stick minor with several big hits. And it doesn’t hurt to have a guy who also hoisted the Cup. Burakovsky is one of only two Colorado players with Stanley Cup rings, and that came in handy.