Game 1
The series began on Wednesday, June 15th in front of a raucous Denver crowd. The home town Avalanche matched this energy early on both ends of the ice, quickly building a 2-0 lead on goals from Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin in the first nine and a half minutes of play. Nicholas Paul's breakaway finish pulled Tampa back to a 2-1 hole at the 12:26 mark, but Artturi Lehkonen's 5 on 3 power play score late put Colorado back ahead by two at the end of the first.
The second period was a lightning storm, as the Eastern Conference champs rallied back to tie the game 3-3. Ondrej Palat, hero of a pivotal game three versus New York, tipped in the first tally of the period for the Ning at the 12:51 mark off of a beautiful deke and dish from Nikita Kucherov. From there, it would only take Mikhail Sergachev 48 seconds to tie things up.
Period three saw Colorado dictating the pace as they had most of the game. With no scoring though, we went to overtime. Just over a minute into the extra period, the Lightning had two failed clear attempts from their zone, resulting in an Avalanche 3 on 2. After an initial shot was blocked by Victor Hedman, an opportunistic bounce set up an easy pass to the wide open Andre Burakovsky, who netted the game winner.
Avalanche (1-0)
Andre Burakovsky- Photo by USA Today Sports |
Game 2
The Avalanche came out in the second showdown the same way they did in game one: with three first period goals. Colorado jumped on Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning early and often- with a third minute powerplay goal to start things off by Valeri Nichushkin. This was quickly followed with goals by Josh Manson and Andre Burakovsky to propel the Avalanche to their lead. Tampa only mustered five first period shots as their backs were constantly against the wall.
Period two was not very different, much to the chagrin of Lightning fans everywhere. Nichushkin kicked off the scoring again in this frame, this time at the 4:51 mark. Darren Helm buried a goal twelve minutes later to increase the Colorado lead to 5-0. Despite a much more competitive showing on the ice by the visitors from Florida, it was clear that there was not going to be another hard-nosed comeback tonight.
With two more goals in the third, the Colorado Avalanche sealed the deal over the defending champs with a 7-0 romping. Credit to Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper for showing confidence in Vasilevskiy, refusing to bench the goal tender among a terrible performance (7 goals allowed on 30 shots). If they are going to have a chance in this series, Cooper and the Ning would need him to be great come game three back home.
Avalanche (2-0)
Game 3
After a quick trip from Denver to sunny Florida, we had the first of two meetings between an immovable object and an unstoppable force. With the Avalanche a perfect 7-0 on road this postseason and the Lightning a stout 7-1 at home, something had to give.
As they have in the previous two games, Colorado quickly put the puck in the net. What appeared to be a goal exactly five minutes into the game was called off due to offsides, delaying their official first goal until the 8:19 mark, when Gabriel Landeskog scored on the power play. The Bolts did not waver in the face of pressure however, answering five minutes later with an Anthony Cirelli tally to tie the game at one. Ondrej Palat ripped a beautiful shot to the top left corner shortly after to give the Ning a 2-1 advantage going into the second. It was the first time they've had a lead this series.
The Lightning struck early again in the middle frame, capitalizing off of a bad turnover by the Western conference champs to increase the score to 3-1. Landeskog was able to record his second power play goal of the game three minutes after the early Tampa Bay score, cutting the lead to one once again, but that was the last of the offense from Colorado.
Three more goals by the Tampa team raced them ahead to a 6-2 lead by the end of the second. Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Corey Perry all got on the board as the team emphatically put the Avalanche away. There was no scoring in the third period, as the end result was already well in hand. In what was all but a must win game, the Lightning got the W.
Avalanche (2-1)
Anthony Cirelli- Photo by Jack Gunn/CP |
Game 4
Anthony Cirelli and the Lightning came out swinging early in the Amalie Arena, netting a goal off a rebound during a mad scramble in front just 36 seconds in. They kept this heavy pressure for most of the first frame, but were unable to score again. The momentum from game three seemed to have carried over for Tampa amidst their comeback attempt.
Once period two rolled around, the Avalanche responded. As they have much of the series, Colorado capitalized on a powerplay opportunity with Nathan MacKinnon scoring on an unintentional kick in at the 5:17 mark. The boys from Florida did not fold under the pressure, answering with a Victor Hedman tally. The defenseman expertly carried the puck through the zone, weaving through defenders and drilling a sick backhand shot. The Ning led 2-1 going into the third.
It took Andrew Cogliano just two minutes and fifty-three seconds to tie up the game in period three. The remainder of regulation was back and forth, with Kucherov ringing one off the crossbar about halfway through the period. No team was able to put the puck in the net though, and like game one, we were going to overtime.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was on fire throughout overtime, surviving a stinger off of the crossbar and making some ridiculous saves to keep Tampa Bay in the game. Unfortunately, the Bolts were unable to reward his efforts, succumbing to the Colorado assault on a Nazem Kadri goal that didn't trigger the lamp. After the referees conferred, they confirmed what was a very clear goal for the Avalanche, giving them the OT victory and sending both teams back to Denver for an elimination game on June 24th.
Avalanche (3-1)
Nazem Kadri- Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP |
Game 5
On the road in a must win game five, Tampa was able to get on the board first. After a tense fifteen minutes to start the game, Jan Rutta put the Ning up 1-0 on a wrister from the right side that snuck under Darcy Kuemper's glove. Vasilevskiy held strong against multiple flurries to preserve the lead through the first frame.
Valeri Nichushkin netted his fourth goal of the series to start the scoring in the second, putting the puck in off of an awkward rebound at the 5:07 mark and setting the sold out Ball Arena abuzz. The Lightning quickly recaptured the lead however, with a Nikita Kucherov laser from the point on a 4 on 3 advantage. Tampa Bay was able to take a one goal advantage into the final period.
The Avs brought a ton of offensive pressure early in the third, resulting in one of the Lightning defenders deflecting the puck through Vasilevskiy's five-hole for the tying goal. The score was credited to Cale Makar. But as he had done all postseason, Ondrej Palat came to Tampa's rescue. Palat received a beautiful pass from defender Victor Hedman and snuck the shot past the left blocker of Kuemper for their third goal of the game. It ended up being the decisive one, and Palat's fourth game winner of the playoffs, as the defending champions extended their season for at least one more game.
A major difference in this game: Tampa Bay did not allow a powerplay goal for the first time this series, killing both opportunities. Given how much pressure Colorado's offense had produced through these first five games, minimizing their opportunities and success with the extra man would be crucial in the Lightning's comeback bid.
Avalanche (3-2)
Ondrej Palat- Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Getty Images |
Game 6
Back in the Sunshine State with another shot at securing the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche came out firing-- but couldn't capitalize on the chances they made for themselves. Superstar Steven Stamkos put the Bolts up three minutes after the opening barrage with a five-hole finish from just in front of the crease. The Tampa Bay crowd was electric early, helping the team power through continued Colorado pressure and hold a 1-0 lead through one.
Nathan MacKinnon quieted the fans just 1:54 into period two as the Avs offensive attack was finally able to break through Vasilevskiy. Artturi Lehkonen lit the lamp again for the visiting team on a beautifully struck puck during a 3-on-2 odd man rush, putting the Western Conference champs ahead 2-1. In what had been a back and forth period, the new deficit was clearly discouraging for the Lightning, who just could not find a way to put the puck past Kuemper.
Onto period three, where Tampa's largest failed opportunity came from Nikita Kucherov missing a open opportunity on 2-on-1 just a minute and a half into the final frame. From there, the Avalanche defense was smothering and the offense was in control, only allowing four shots in the final period to the defending champions. The Ning would pull their goalie in a desperate attempt late to manufacture an equalizing score, but it was to no avail.
The Colorado Avalanche clinched their first Stanley Cup Championship since the days of Patrick Roy in 2001, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 overall in the best of seven. Cale Makar was the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy, who finished with eight goals and 29 total points during the playoff run. Securing the Stanley Cup caps off a dominant postseason showing by the Avs, who went 16-4 on their way to the championship. Now if Nic Aube-Kubel could just work on physically securing the Cup...
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment