The Colorado Avalanche have dethroned the Tampa Bay Lightning as Stanley Cup Champions, winning the Cup Final in six games. This is the Avs’ third Stanley Cup in franchise history and first Stanley Cup since 2001.
In addition, Cale Makar was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as this year’s playoff MVP. There wasn't a better choice for this award, as he had one of the best performances out of anyone in the playoffs this year and is currently the best young defenseman in the NHL.
Here are quick recaps of every game in this year's Stanley Cup Final:
Game 1: Avalanche defeat the Lightning 4-3 in OT. Colorado scored three in the first period from Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, and Arturri Lehkonen, while the Lightning added one from Nick Paul in the first and tied the game at three in the second on goals from Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev, forcing overtime. It only took one minute and 23 seconds into OT for Andre Burakovsky to net the game-winner for the Avs. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves for the Bolts, while Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves for the Avs. In addition, this was Brayden Point's first game in action since May 14, collecting an assist in the Bolts' OT loss.
Game 2: Avalanche blow out the Lightning 7-0 in a one-sided affair. 11 different Avalanche players recorded at least one point, and Darcy Kuemper had himself a 17-save shutout. Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin led the way with two goals each, followed by Mikko Rantanen with three assists. In addition, Josh Manson, Andre Burakovsky, and Darren Helm each scored a goal, Andrew Cogliano and Alex Newhook each recorded two assists, and Nathan MacKinnon, Logan O'Connor, Andre Burakovsky, and Devon Toews each tallied an assist.
Game 3: Lightning bounce back from the first two games and get back in this series, taking down the Avalanche 6-2. Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat, and Pat Maroon each led the way for the Bolts with a goal and an assist in Game 3, while Anthony Cirelli scored an incredible goal to tie the game at one during the first period. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each recorded two assists, while Nick Paul and Corey Perry also scored goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a much better performance in net compared to the first two games, recording 37 saves. On the other hand, Gabe Landeskog scored the Avs' only two goals in Game 3.
Game 4: Nazem Kadri nets the game-winner in overtime in his return to the lineup since the conference finals following hand surgery as the Avalanche win 3-2 to get within one win of the ultimate prize. Anthony Cirelli opened the scoring for the Lightning 36 seconds into the first period, while Nathan MacKinnon ties it at one early in the second period. The alternation of goal scoring continued through regulation, with a great goal from Victor Hedman near the middle of the second period and Andrew Cogliano tying the game at two early in the third period.
Game 5: The Lightning force a Game 6 with their 3-2 win over the Avalanche in Game 5. Ondrej Palat scores another huge goal in the third period to win it for the Bolts and keep their quest for a three-peat alive. Jan Rutta and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy came through with 38 saves. Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar scored the Avs' only two goals.
Game 6: The Avalanche defeat the Lightning 2-1 to capture the Cup. Steven Stamkos scored the first goal of the game for the Bolts in the first period, while the Avs scored the next two in the second period from Nathan MacKinnon and Arturri Lehkonen to win the series. Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves for the Avs, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for the Bolts.
This year's Stanley Cup Final was a great series between two amazing teams that have earned their way to be in the biggest stage. The Lightning and Avalanche are my second and sixth favorite teams respectively, so I wasn't rooting too hard for either team and wanted both to perform well. I am happy with the final result, as I like many players on the Avalanche and it's always great to see a new Stanley Cup Champion. I am especially happy for Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, former San Jose Shark Andrew Cogliano, Gabe Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, and Erik Johnson to name a few.
On the other hand, I would've rooted harder for the Lightning had they not won the previous two Stanley Cups. At the same time, if Tampa had come back in the Cup Final and completed the three-peat, it would've been a truly incredible feat to accomplish in the salary cap era. Still, the Lightning's Cup runs in the past three seasons have been nothing short of impressive. Another crazy stat I read was that Corey Perry played in each of the past three Cup Finals, including this year, and was on the losing side of each one. That's gotta sting, and I would feel bad for most players in that scenario. However, since I'm not a huge Corey Perry fan, I am okay with it being that way for him.
Once again, congratulations to the Colorado Avalanche on a terrific season and winning the greatest trophy in sports, and I cannot wait for the day when the Sharks finally hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time ever!
Source: ESPN
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