Avalanche start fast, finish strong in win
Burakovsky’s goal early in overtime gives Colorado edge in Stanley Cup Final.
DENVER — 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 Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.
Burakovsky ended it after the Avalanche failed to score on a power play that began late in regulation when three-time champion Patrick Maroon put the puck over the glass. Burakovsky is one of only two Avalanche players who have won the Cup.
“He’s been playing well lately, and he sure deserves it,” winger Mikko Rantanen said. “He has a great shot and overall a nice play.”
The game probably wouldn’t have even reached OT if not for big penalty kills by the Avalanche, who were three for three against Tampa Bay’s potent power play. The final kill featured a crucial save by goaltender Darcy Kuemper and a series of clears by Norris Trophy finalist defenseman Cale Makar.
An earlier kill built momentum for Colorado, which opened the scoring on captain Gabriel Landeskog’s goal 40 seconds after Josh Manson’s penalty expired. Manson — a former Duck and one of general manager Joe Sakic’s expensive trade deadline pickups — more than made up for a holding the stick minor with some big hits.
In another example of what has made the Lightning the NHL’s best team over the past three years, they turned the tide in the second period with goals by Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev 48 seconds apart. 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. “But the right team won the game, so give them credit for pulling it out.”
The arena was rocking from the start of warmups for the first Stanley Cup Final game in the city since 2001 — also the last year the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, with Sakic serving as captain.
Tampa Bay’s most prolific goal scorer from each of the past two title runs was back, with center Brayden Point returning to play his first game since injuring his right leg a month ago.
Colorado has a series lead despite playing without forwards Nazem Kadri (right thumb) and Andrew Cogliano (right hand), who were injured last series in a sweep of Edmonton in the Western Conference final.
If anything, Game 1 against the Lightning showed this series won’t be easy for either team.