The Colorado Avalanche have won the 2022 Stanley Cup.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning biting at their heels, trying to force a comeback down 3-1, all the pressure was on Colorado to finish the job in Game 6. They did just that with a 2-1 win, partially thanks to Nathan MacKinnon, who had points on both goals on the night.
It’s the third Stanley Cup in the Avalanche’s franchise history, their first since 2001. They had a dominant season, and even more dominant postseason, finally overcoming that second-round hump, and never trailing in a series during a 16-4 run.
For the Lightning, it’s the end of a dynasty. It ends an 11 series win streak, and more importantly, it’s the end of a Stanley Cup winning streak, just two wins away from their third straight Cup.
That said, the Cup didn’t come easily. The Lightning kicked off Game 6 the way they did in Game 5, and that was with a goal, although this one came much earlier, and this time, it came from the captain. After some tough board play from Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat grabbed the loose puck and set up Stamkos right in front of the net, and Stamkos buried it to give the Bolts a 1-0 lead.
It was a fast-paced period, with whistles and breaks few and far between. The Lightning took a bit of a beating as well, with both Erik Cernak and Jan Rutta getting roughed up and having to take a couple shifts off.
The Avs made quick work to tie the game in the second period, gaining the offensive zone and maintaining pressure until Bowen Byram set up MacKinnon with a one-timer, and he beat Andrei Vasilevskiy clean to tie it at 1-1.
MacKinnon wasn’t done there either. He was part of a 3-on-2 into the Tampa zone, and after Josh Manson gave him the puck, he made a move or two to set up Artturi Lehkonen to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.
The Avs put on a textbook display of shutdown defense in the third period, not letting the Lightning get a single shot in the first half of the period, and holding them to just four shots over the course of the period, even with the Bolts pressuring late. Even though Darcy Kuemper didn’t get a ton of action, he was up to the task when he did.
And that would be enough. The Lightning couldn’t get that tying goal, and the Avalanche take the game 2-1. More importantly, they take the Stanley Cup.
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