It took some time, but the Avalanche finally started the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals with a bang.
Colorado defeated the Lightning 4-3 in overtime in Game 1 in an instant classic. The Avalanche scored the decisive goal when André Burakovsky hit the net after 1:23 of the first overtime.
The game started at breakneck speed, with the Avalanche taking a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. Gabriel Landeskog scored the first goal of the game with assists from Mikko Rantanen and Bowen Byram, followed by a goal less than two minutes later from Valeri Nichushkin. Nick Paul brought up the Lightning shortly after, but Artturi Lehkonen scored before the end of the third to give Colorado a 3-1 lead.
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However, Tampa Bay dominated the second period, with Ondřej Palát and Mikhail Sergachev each scoring to take the Lightning level 3-3.
Tampa Bay aims to become the first team since 1983 to win three straight Stanley Cup titles. It lost Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals to Dallas before winning four of the next five games. Last year Tampa Bay jumped Montreal 3-0 up and eventually won the series in five games.
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