Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
How about a game 1?
Andre Burakovsky gave the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals Wednesday night, scoring the winning goal in the minute and 23 seconds of extra time to give the Avs a win for 4-3 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
NHL @NHL
OT WINNER OF ANDRE BURAKOVSKY !!! ⁇ pic.twitter.com/Bp3mQJyUyV
ESPN @espn
“It’s been a dream since I was little.”
– pic.twitter. com / m3KXYcKILu
Not surprisingly, his main goal was to talk about Twitter after the game:
Grant Paulsen @granthpaulsen
Andre Burakovsky has just scored an OT winner in the Stanley Cup. This is my child. pic.twitter.com/s3YI7F3ueV
Samantha Pell @SamanthaJPell
Tonight has not been the first time Andre Burakovsky has played a hero for his team against Tampa.
In 2018 with WSH, he scored two goals in the 7th game victory in the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa. We know what happened next.
Zach @_jewy_
Lightning from Tampa Bay when they see Andre Burakovsky pic.twitter.com/YCGObVe7sg
Peter Baugh @Peter_Baugh
Andre Burakovsky just scored the biggest goal of his career.
The Avs lead the series 1-0.
Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun
Burakovsky at one point, the Avs won 4-3 in the OT.
This is going to be such a fun series. High event hockey.
Jesse Montano @jessemontano_
What a wonderful past Nichushkin. Great looks and a lot of patience to throw this record through the grain, and a great Burakovski finale.
It was a fantastic game.
Mark Scheig @markscheig
Andre Burakovsky can release a record. The biggest photo of his life to date.
Lukas Weese @Weesesports
Andre Burakovsky with the winner of the Avalanche OT.
This Stanley Cup final will be GREAT.
Burakovsky received his flowers, and rightly so, but this was a wild game that unfolded in three acts.
First act: the Avs jumped to 2-0 and 3-1 behind the goals of Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen.
NHL @NHL
LET THE SCORE BEGIN.
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ pic. twitter.com/scGluR3TUT
NHL @NHL
Valeri Nichushkin is on!
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ pic. twitter.com/1pxnpnLenY
NHL @NHL
Artturi Lehkonen with the perfect deviation! ⁇
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ pic .twitter.com/ CuhZaL5AAT
Act two: The Lightning, showing the balance of a two-time defender, scored the goals of Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev with a minute difference.
NHL @NHL
KUCH. ⁇
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ pic.twitter.com/lZIbzret95
Sportsnet @Sportsnet
Never count the defending champions 😤
OURS. THEY ARE. Bound. pic.twitter.com/cuHFpgsld0
Third act: Both teams, after the explosive initial periods, played without a point in the third period before Burakovski declared the game in overtime.
We have all the first facts of an epic series here, folks.
Lightning will be looking to catch up in Colorado during Game 2 on Saturday at 8pm ET (ABC / ESPN).