Facing two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning put the Colorado Avalanche at a major disadvantage in experience for the Stanley Cup final.
When the record dropped, the Avalanche proved they could use their speed to make up for the Tampa Bay players who have been here, they did. And it doesn’t hurt to have a guy who also lifted the Cup.
Andre Burakovsky scored 1:23 in overtime to give Colorado a 4-3 win in Game 1 Wednesday night and put the Avs in a series that looks like a classic. Burakovsky is one of only two Colorado players with Stanley Cup rings, and that was helpful.
“I’ve been there and I know the situation,” said Burakovsky, who also scored two big goals in Game 7 of the Eastern League final against Lightning in 2018 when he won it all with Washington. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I know what to expect, the pace and what’s at stake here.”
The rhythm? Furious. The bets? Either Tampa Bay finishing the top three in the NHL in nearly four decades or the first championship in this Colorado core after years of playoff disappointments.
The Avalanche with a quick start as they can use their speed to get even the most experienced opponents back on their heels. Backed by Darcy Kuemper, the choice without hesitation to start the goal now that he is healthy, the penalty was aggressive to make a perfect 3 of 3 against the powerful power play of the Lightning.
“We had a lot of pre-control and we were pretty good at clearing the discs when we had the chance,” said striker Artturi Lehkonen.
An early death penalty gave Colorado a boost, which opened the scoring with a goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog 40 seconds after Josh Manson’s penalty expired. Manson, one of the faces picked up by CEO Joe Sakic’s trade deadlines, made up for more than keeping the stick with several major hits.
TARGET | Burakovsky’s overtime goal raises Colorado over Tampa Bay:
Avalanche overtakes Lightning in overtime to win first leg of Stanley Cup final
Andre Burakovsky’s overtime goal leads Colorado to a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay in the first game of the Stanley Cup final.
Lehkone, Avalanche’s other acquisition, also maintained his ability to score key goals. He had the third goal of the first period after Valeri Nichuskin scored the second as part of a dominant performance all over the ice.
“Huge X factor,” coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s been doing this kind of thing for us for a couple of years.”
Tampa Bay’s latest additions also played a major role, with Nick Paul beating Colorado defender Jack Johnson on a loose record for a goal in the first that limited the damage and kept the defending champions in the game. Brandon Hagel, who has been hit and was a question mark to play, was defeated on a loose record by Landeskog, an unusual goal for current playoff MVP Andrei Vasilevskiy who resigned by letting the opening shot slip under the left arm.
Of course, the lightning struck a blow.
In another example of what has made Lightning the best team in the NHL in the last three years, they turned the tide in the second period with goals from Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev 48 seconds apart.
“We’re playing with a really good team and they won’t go up and come back,” Bednar said. “They have to have a push back.”
He also made his avalanche, repressing with another great slaughter in the third period to end what Landeskog called a “resilient victory.”
Colorado beat Tampa Bay 38-23, and there was no discussion on the losing side about the outcome of the series opener between two tied opponents.
“There are some positive signs for us in this game,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But the right team won the game, so give it credit for getting it.”
The arena has been moving since the warm-up for the first game of the Stanley Cup final in the city in 2001, also the last year that the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, with Sakic as captain. . Fans chanted, “We want the Cup!” throughout the game and at times during the game, which was a showcase of the high-level hockey that has been the standard throughout the season.
Tampa Bay’s most prolific goal scorer in each of the last two series of titles has returned, with center Brayden Point returning to play his first game since injuring his right leg a month ago.
Colorado leads the series despite playing without forwards Nazem Kadri (right thumb) and Andrew Cogliano (right hand), who were injured in the last series in a sweep of Edmonton in the Western Conference Finals.
The Avalanche also swept Nashville in the first round and sent rival St. Louis in six before taking out Connor McDavid and the Oilers. In any case, match 1 against Lightning proved that this series will not be easy for either team.
“I don’t think not a mile of country gave them our best game,” Cooper said. “To win a team like this, we have to have the best in us.”