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It took some extra time, but the Avalanche finally kicked off the 2022 Stanley Cup Final with a bang.
Colorado beat the Lightning, 4–3, in overtime of Game 1 in what was an instant classic. The Avalanche scored the decisive goal when André Burakovsky found the back of the net 1:23 into the first overtime period.
The game got off to a breakneck start, with the Avalanche jumping out to a 2–0 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes. Gabriel Landeskog scored the game’s first goal with assists from Mikko Rantanen and Bowen Byram, followed by a goal less than two minutes later from Valeri Nichushkin. Nick Paul got the Lightning on the board shortly thereafter, but Artturi Lehkonen scored before the end of the period to give Colorado a 3-1 lead.
Tampa Bay dominated the second period, though, with Ondřej Palát and Mikhail Sergachev each netting a goal to draw the Lightning level at 3–3.
Tampa Bay is looking to become the first team since 1983 to win three consecutive Stanley Cup titles. It lost Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final to Dallas before winning four of the next five games. Last year, Tampa Bay jumped out to a 3–0 series lead on Montreal, eventually winning the series in five games.
