Colorado Avalanche

TAMPA, Fla. — Cale Makar's most famous words of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final weren't his last, they were his first.

"They're a team that's looking to have a dynasty," Makar said on media day, prior to the start of the Colorado Avalanche's championship series against the two-time defending champions in the Tampa Bay Lighting. "We're a team trying to start a legacy."

Their legacy may have begun Sunday night.

The Avalanche ended the Lightning's bid for their third straight Stanley Cup. A 2-1 comeback win in Game 6 at Amalie Arena gave the Avs their first Stanley Cup championship since 2001 and the third in club history. With a talented young core in place, this might not be the last time you see this team in this position in the coming years.

It's a culmination of patience and prudence shown by Avalanche GM Joe Sakic. The team tasted bitter disappointment in recent years, losing in the second round in three consecutive postseasons and in the first the year before that.

But much like when the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bolts were swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the adversity served them well. Tampa Bay stayed the course and turned into a juggernaut.

Sakic did the same, knowing his team would be better for it. He didn't fire coach Jared Bednar after the team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights last year, and he didn't make drastic changes to the roster.

"Sometimes you have to go through some tough times," Sakic said. "We thought we were in a real good place last year, and it didn't happen. And it didn't happen quick. You saw the emotion from Nathan [MacKinnon] after we lost to Vegas [last year]. But I can tell you, right from day one of training camp, they came ready to go. They all had worked extremely hard in the offseason. You can tell that they weren't happy and they were ready to be prepared."

"We learned to play the right way with a lead and manage the puck. That was the biggest difference this year from last year."

Sakic's deft management not only fortified the roster this season but also improved the team's leadership.

His deadline acquisitions included defenseman Josh Manson, who bailed out goalie Darcy Kuemper with a goal-line save in Game 6 of the second round, which ultimately allowed the Avs to win the game and eliminate the St. Louis Blues.

"The whole St. Louis trip was a turning point for our team," Makar said. "The whole experience of giving up a Game 5 and losing, the mentality flipped right after that game. We were like, 'We're going to win [the next game].' And we found a way with four seconds or so left. Manson made an incredible play for us."

Sakic also brought in Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the game-winner for the Montreal Canadiens to send them to the Stanley Cup last season and the game-winner in Game 6.

He also brought in veteran winger Andrew Cogliano, who brought the team together Saturday night and delivered a motivational speech, along with MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog.

"When a guy like that talks, you listen," Makar said. "He spoke to us, it was him and Landy and Nate, basically just calmed the guys down and made sure that, regardless of the outcome, we just put it all out there and see where the game lies."

The emotional leadership the veterans provided was a huge boost, but it also helps to have all-world players like Makar. The Avs' defensemen scored 18 goals and assisted on 49 for 67 points. Only the 1985 Edmonton Oilers received a larger contribution from their defense corps with 77 points. Makar was at the center of it all throughout the postseason, along with defense partner Devon Toews.

The newly crowned Norris Trophy winner's 29 points were the most points by a defenseman in one postseason in 28 years and the fourth-highest in Stanley Cup history. His point total was the second-highest ever recorded by an Avs player, with the highest mark (34 points) having been set by Sakic.

"Best player in the world," Colorado defenseman Bowen Byram told Bleacher Report.

The way they jump into the rush makes it feel like Colorado has five forwards on the ice, yet they're still able to contain the puck, retrieve it and slow down the opposing forwards when needed. It's incredibly effective with the right personnel.

"I feel like a difference-maker in this series, it could have been that, maybe individual-wise," Makar said. "But I feel like for us, our main thing was that we always wanted to be up in the rush and give our forwards options because they're so good at gaps and so on and so on."

For longtime veterans such as Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson and Cogliano, it's the ultimate payoff. Cogliano had come close to the Cup once before in 2015 with the Anaheim Ducks, but that team lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final. It was a devastating blow for a contending team. The club largely shared the same sentiment: You never know when you're going to get another chance at a Cup.

Cogliano finally got one again.

"I think the biggest thing is, to say you're a champion, that's the biggest title you can get in this game," Cogliano said. "To beat a team like that is something special. This team deserved it. I really do think that. This is a great bunch of people from the top down. And we earned it."

MacKinnon also had some famous words last year: "I haven't won s--t."

He can now say he's won it all.

DENVER — It's the most fun an athlete could ever have.

It's also the most exhausting.

They say the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win, but the Tampa Bay Lightning made it look easy in 2020 and 2021. However, it doesn't look easy for the Lightning or their opponent in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avs had a chance to clinch at home on Friday night in Game 5. The city was ready. The atmosphere inside Ball Arena was absolutely electric. The Stanley Cup was in the building.

Fans broke down barriers at a watch party. The state's signature craft beer was flowing, streets were blocked off and light poles were greased in anticipation of mass celebrations.

But Ondrej Palat's go-ahead goal in the third period put those hopes on hold for at least another few days, if not ended them all together. The Bolts forced a sixth game, and everyone headed back to Tampa just 48 hours after departing, a lot more determined to win but also a lot more fatigued.

"There is a massive sense of, 'Wow, we accomplish this. I'm so damn excited. But I need my bed for a while,'" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said earlier this week in Denver. "The excitement and the thrill, and all that trumps everything. But there is a time where you're like, 'Glad this is over.'"

It's a lot of adrenaline and emotions, and when that adrenaline crashes, it can be draining. This is the culmination of two straight months of highs and lows. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are just as much about skill and depth as they are about managing emotions and mental toughness.

For the Lightning, that mental toughness comes from being battle-tested and understanding through two years of Stanley Cup Finals how and when to step on the gas and how and when to let up.

But right now, they can't let up. And that's a challenge.

"Is it tactics? Is it game plan? Is it all those other things? Yes. Part of it, too, is managing, and it's managing expectations. It's managing what's happening in the future," Cooper said.

"And if you're going to have a parade for every win, you're not going to last very long in this league. You're definitely not going to last long in the playoffs. And I think that with our group, you just have to reset and understand like, it's the first one to four. It's not the first one to three. You don't know how you're going to get there, but for us, our focus can't change. Like our approach going into last night can't change tomorrow just because we're going home."

Special teams and injuries will be key storylines heading into Game 6. The Avalanche have been dominating the special teams battle, turning the Bolts' historic strengths into weaknesses.

The Lightning are just 2-for-18 (11.1 percent) on the power play through five games, and their penalty kill is 6-for-15 (40 percent). Kucherov scored on a 4-on-3 power play Friday night to help boost that number a little, but Tampa Bay had two previous power plays that generated next to nothing.

The Colorado penalty kill has significantly limited scoring chances and forced their opponent to pass more than shoot. In nearly nine more 5-on-4 minutes than the Avs, Tampa Bay has 11 fewer shot attempts and 11 fewer scoring chances.

"It's playoffs, it's Stanley Cup Finals, I think your team's always play with a certain level of desperation," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Saturday morning before the team departed for Florida.

"Certainly, Tampa brought it yesterday. We've seen it building with both teams as the series goes on, and there's still lots of hockey to be played. So I expect our guys to again ramp up that level as much as they possibly can. just try to put together a little bit more detailed and more disciplined game from our group."

Brayden Point and Andre Burakovsky have missed three straight games for Tampa Bay and Colorado, respectively. Burakovsky is traveling with the Avs and is a possibility for Game 6.

Both teams are tired. Both teams are desperate. One might know how to handle the roller coaster a little better than the other, but that doesn't mean the Avs aren't learning quickly. To close out the series over the two-time defending champions, the Avs need to be more desperate than the team playing underneath those banners.

"I think that's something you just kind of have to find. You have to have that desperation because it's the finals," Colorado defenseman Josh Manson said."You can't look at the amount of games that we have left. You have to be desperate every single game, and I think that's something that we've talked about, at least. We played St. Louis, and they had that game where they kind of game back on us. We felt that we needed to get desperate, and we learned from that a little bit."

Welcome back, Nazem Kadri.

The Colorado Avalanche center returned from a thumb injury for the first time since June 4, only to score the dramatic winning goal in overtime of Wednesday's Game 4 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

There was some confusion after Kadri beat Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to give his team the 3-2 victory, but it was a good goal. His team is ahead 3-1 in the series and one win away from its first Stanley Cup title since the 2000-01 campaign.

Kadri and the Avalanche naturally earned plenty of praise for the performance:

The center was the hero, but it was far from a solo effort. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was largely brilliant while stopping 37 of 39 shots in an impressive bounce-back performance after he was pulled in the Game 3 loss.

It didn't look like Kuemper was going to star when he allowed a goal to Anthony Cirelli 36 seconds into Wednesday's contest, but he was the best player on the ice for the Avalanche for the rest of the opening period as Tampa Bay outshot the visitors 17-4.

Surviving the initial onslaught proved key because Nathan MacKinnon's second-period goal tied it up, as did Andrew Cogliano's third-period goal after Victor Hedman temporarily put the Lightning ahead with a backhand goal.

With Kadri back in the rotation and scoring monumental goals to MacKinnon and Cale Makar working their usual magic to Kuemper playing like a top-notch goaltender, the momentum is firmly on the Avalanche's side again.

They will look to close out the series at home in Friday's Game 5.

TAMPA, Fla. — Much has been made about the Colorado Avalanche's goaltending situation over the last month. The noise quieted down when Darcy Kuemper pitched a shutout in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, but then he was pulled in Game 3.

Pavel Francouz took over after Kuemper allowed five goals in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and some wondered whether the Avs might be inclined to give a start to Francouz, the goalie who helped Colorado sweep the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Kuemper allowed 2.5 goals above expected in Game 3, so one can hardly fault Bednar for making an in-game switch.

But as far as making a change for Game 4, Bednar appears to be sticking with Kuemper, which is the right thing to do. It gives the Avs some stability and it reinforces the confidence the team has in Kuemper. He didn't outright say that he would be starting Kuemper, but he said it without really saying it.

"That’s one possibility," he said after the Avs practiced Tuesday at Amalie Arena.

Bednar has declined to confirm his goalies throughout the series, even though Kuemper has been in the starter's net in all three morning skates. It's a sharp contrast to Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who has enthusiastically supported goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and emphatically confirmed his presence in the net each game.

But it's easy to announce your goalie when he's largely considered one of, if not the best, in the world. Vasilevskiy, the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner, is the backbone of the Lightning.

Kuemper and Francouz have been a tandem all season. While Kuemper is the clear-cut No. 1, Francouz is more of a 1-B than his counterpart in Tampa, 37-year-old Brian Elliott.

When Vasilevskiy gave up seven goals in Game 2, Cooper said he didn't even think about pulling him for Elliott. Meanwhile, Bednar didn't hesitate to go to the bullpen when Kuemper struggled in Game 3.

"I think it was probably more [coach Bednar] wanted to give us a little bit of a jump start by pulling him and putting Frankie in," Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson said. "But regardless of who plays, like you've seen all playoffs both guys have stepped up in the situations that they've been asked to and whoever's in the net, we're confident in. But I expect Darcy to bounce back like he always has for most situations."

The 31-year-old Kuemper was injured midway through the first game of the Western Conference Final and the Avalanche turned to Francouz, also 31, who backstopped Colorado to a sweep of the Edmonton Oilers. Though he had some shaky moments in that series, the Czech netminder had a very good season and performed admirably in seven postseason games.

He posted a .916 save percentage in 21 games (18 starts) in the regular season, and has a .906 save percentage in the postseason.

"Really versatile. All season long once he got healthy, he'd play stretches of games, he'd have big breaks in between games and come in in relief. He's continued that in the playoffs and been really steady, a calming influence on our team," Bednar said. "He's played really well when we put him in the net. Really happy with what he's been able to do, especially through the playoffs with ramped-up intensity. He keeps himself ready."

Nothing against Francouz, but changing goalies now would be a panic move on the part of Bednar. The Avs are up 2-1 in the series, so there is no need to worry right now.

The way Bednar stood by his goalie after the loss in Tampa on Monday night and calmly addressed the media on Tuesday, one wouldn't come away with the impression that he was looking to make a drastic change.

Francouz might have better numbers right now, but it's been in limited appearances. Kuemper is conditioned for this kind of workload.

"I think as a goalie that won't be the last time he gets pulled," Johnson said. "He's been pulled before, goalies get pulled all the time. They respond well, Darcy has been pulled in the regular season before and he responded great. Just like a player you're gonna make a mistake and it won't be the last mistake you ever make. It’s a game of mistakes and I think with Darcy he's responded every time he's been pulled."

We have seen extreme speed and high-level playmaking in this series. Vasilevskiy even allowed seven in Game 2. It's not time to change the goalie. At least, not yet.

Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar has won the 2021-22 Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, beating out Nashville Predators veteran Roman Josi and Tampa Bay Lightning big man Victor Hedman for the honor.

Makar, who was also nominated for the award last season, is Colorado's first-ever Norris Trophy winner.

The 23-year-old led all defensemen with 28 goals and ranked second among defensemen with 86 points in 77 regular-season games. He also averaged 25:40 of ice time and a plus-48 plus/minus.

The Avalanche selected Makar fourth overall in the 2017 draft. After playing four seasons of college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, he made his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season.

The Canadian tallied 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points in 57 games during his first season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's most outstanding rookie. He also finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting that year.

Makar was a finalist for the Norris award during the 2020-21 pandemic-shortened season after recording eight goals and 36 assists for 44 points in 44 games, but he finished second to New York Rangers star Adam Fox.

Considering he had a breakout 2021-22 campaign, it's no surprise he was the winner of this year's Norris Trophy.

DENVER — Jon Cooper talked about how important it is for a team to execute a game plan Saturday afternoon and his role once the game begins.

"The coaches' job is to put the game plan together. It's the players' job to go execute it, and they're the ones that are in the trenches," Cooper said ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. "I always make the joke I just stand there, and I watch these players go perform. But you have to have a group that's going to do it, willing to commit to doing the things that need to be done."

His group didn't do it. But Jared Bednar's did.

"I don't know about the perfect plan, but it certainly was as close to perfect as a game you can get from your players," the Colorado Avalanche coach said.

After Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, some fans were expecting a seven-game series. The Colorado Avalanche blew a lead while the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions reminded everyone of their ability to make a push within the game.

But that ability was suddenly lost in Game 2 on Saturday night at Ball Arena. The Bolts had no answer for the Avs in a 7-0 rout, and they now leave Colorado down 2-0 in the series.

Tampa Bay was down 2-0 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final but went on to win four straight, so this is not unfamiliar territory. Even if the Lightning couldn't push back in one game, this team has consistently shown that it can turn the tide of a series quickly.

But this time it feels a little different. Colorado is a far superior team to the Rangers, and even Cooper himself was surprised at his group's sudden inability to capitalize on one of its longtime strengths.

"The game got away from us early, and we have shown a propensity to push back for years," he said. "Tonight, we didn't. If this becomes a common theme in this series, it will probably be a short one. I never doubt the guys in the room. Does it suck losing a game like that? For sure. We're not used to it. It doesn't really happen to us. But is it going to happen at times? Yeah, it is.

"You're just hoping it doesn't happen in the Stanley Cup Final."

The Avs showcased an overwhelming amount of speed and skill throughout the first two games. Their zone entries are so precise and the rush is so hard and so fast that the Lightning have no choice but to try to match their speed, and so far they haven't been able to.

This isn't how Tampa Bay wants to play. The Lightning wanted to slow the Avs, bottle them up in the neutral zone and push them to the outside. They wanted to force Colorado into playing low-event hockey.

Instead, it was an exceptionally high-event game, but all of the events were taking place in the Tampa Bay zone. The Bolts only managed 16 shots on goal. Darcy Kuemper turned them all aside.

"We're checking," Colorado forward Andrew Cogliano said. "Our back pressure, our reloads—it's usually third- and fourth-line guys that are key to that, they do that really well and it's part of their game, but our top two lines are, at times in the game, the best. [Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog]—those guys are playing a 200-foot game right now that is really just tough to play against. It gives a chance for our D to stand up, create good gaps, and we get going the other way with the fast breaks."

The Lightning wanted their checking line of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel to shut down the Colorado top line of Landeskog, MacKinnon and Nichushkin. Throughout the week, Bednar has reiterated that he will not shy away from that matchup.

Instead, it's the Colorado top line shutting everyone down. They did not allow a single shot attempt at five-on-five, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

Nichushkin scored twice and nearly had a hat trick, but Andrei Vasilevskiy denied him. Cale Makar, a heavy Conn Smythe favorite, scored his first two goals of the Final, Andre Burakovsky had his second goal of the series and an assist before leaving with an injury in the second period, and Darren Helm and Josh Manson each scored as well. Rantanen had three assists, and Cogliano and Alex Newhook each had two.

Cooper decided to keep Vasilevskiy in the game, saying he gave the Bolts a better chance than 37-year-old backup Brian Elliott.

"Listen, this is the playoffs, and we're here to win hockey games. Vasy gives us the best chance to win a hockey game, and he's our guy," Cooper said. "He's going to be there in a couple nights. ... He's the best goalie in the world, and we win together, and we lose together. ... I don't think he would've come out. That's what a competitor he is, and that's why he's the best."

Vasilevskiy's teammates also knew they failed to give him a chance to succeed.

"He still made unbelievable saves," Lightning forward Nick Paul said. "We kind of left him out to dry there a couple times. Grade-A after Grade-A, he's not going to stop them all. He did a fantastic job tonight. We can't do that. He's our backbone, and for us to do that to him isn't fair."

The series now moves to Tampa, where the Lightning have lost only one game in the postseason and have won their last seven. But the Avs are carrying a perfect 7-0 road record into Amalie Arena.

The Avalanche are the first team in 46 years (1976 Montreal Canadiens) to take a 2-0 lead in the Cup Final against the defending champions. Three of the four previous teams to do it went on to win the series.

It's not time to count out the Lightning yet, but this is the toughest test yet for a team attempting to build a dynasty.

Saturday night was one to forget for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena in Denver.

It was an all-around disappointing effort from the Bolts, who were widely expected to bounce back from an underwhelming 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1 on Wednesday. Instead, they'll head back to Amalie Arena in an attempt to climb out of an 0-2 hole in the series.

Bolts netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy received the brunt of the criticism on Saturday night for allowing seven goals on 31 shots. However, the team in front of him played just as poorly, if not worse.

The team finished with just 17 shots on goal through three periods as the offense was near invisible. The defense, meanwhile, had an extremely difficult time containing the speedy, highly-skilled offense of the Avalanche, frequently allowing breakaways and scoring chances.

Valeri Nichushkin (two), Josh Manson, Andre Burakovsky, Darren Helm and Cale Makar (two) all finished with goals for the Avalanche.

Tampa Bay's performance on Saturday earned it some heavy criticism on social media, and rightfully so. Even legendary basketball sportscaster Dick Vitale weighed in on the game, asking if there was a mercy rule in hockey.

It was a brutal showing from the Lightning, but it's hard to already rule out the back-to-back defending champions, especially with the series set to shift to Tampa Bay.

The Bolts went down 0-2 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final and went on to defeat the Blueshirts in six games. The team's resiliency and veteran leadership will surely be a factor in Game 3, and Saturday night's shellacking should be all the fuel the team needs to reset.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson graduated from the University of Michigan this spring with a degree in general studies, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton.

"What did it take me, 18 years [to finish]? Most people are at least a doctor at that point," Johnson said. "As a little kid, I never really thought I'd be good enough to play in the NHL. I grew up dreaming of playing college hockey at Michigan, I wanted to graduate from there. It meant a lot to me. [To] graduate, [I'm] pretty proud of that."

The 35-year-old has served as a third-pairing option for the Avalanche during the team's postseason run to the Stanley Cup Final.

During a 16-year career that has also included stops with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, Johnson would take classes either online or during the offseason, chipping away at his degree.

Now, in the same summer, he's both a college graduate and playing in his first Stanley Cup Final.

"It's incredibly special," he said of trying to win the Cup. "You never know if you're going to get an opportunity to play for it. And we've worked so hard this year to get to this point where we now have an opportunity. You never know if you're going to get back here. It took me this long to get a chance here. It's special, and we're trying to make the most of it."

How about that for a Game 1?

Andre Burakovsky gave the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night, scoring the game-winning goal one minute and 23 seconds into overtime to give the Avs a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Not surprisingly, his huge goal was the talk of Twitter after the game:

Burakovsky was given his flowers, and justifiably so, but this was a wild game that played out over three acts.

Act One: The Avs jumped to 2-0 and 3-1 leads behind goals from Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen.

Act Two: The Lightning, showing the poise of a two-time defending champion, pulled even behind goals from Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev within a minute of one another.

Act Three: The two teams, after the explosive opening periods, played to a stalemate in the third period before Burakovsky called game in overtime.

We've got all the early makings of an epic series here, folks.

The Lightning will look to bounce back in Colorado during Saturday's Game 2 at 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN).