TAMPA, Florida – The defending champions and the emerging team destined to have their day with the Cup, this is the tale of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed on the verge of collecting their third straight chalice, but one thing stood in the way; the Colorado Avalanche.
As valiant an effort the home team made, the Western Conference Champions were too much for the Lightning. Whenever the Lightning surged, the Avalanche pushed back and made their own surge.
The collection of emerging stars and depth made Colorado equipped to knock-off Tampa Bay.
Cale Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP in just his third season.
But the way the night started, you would have though the outcome would have been different.
Sensing the urgency to knot the series, the electric Lightning crowd started early, creating an atmosphere home teams need in a tough game.
Within the first 12 seconds Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped a point-blank shot from Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, then the rebound, which he thwarted and smartly directed it into the corner.
It began a quick Tampa Bay rush leaving an unprepared Avalanche team on their heels. One player, Cale Makar, in an effort to prevent an odd-numbered attack, interfered with Brandon Hagel, a play not lost on the official who assessed the minor penalty shortly thereafter. While Makar sat in the box, Tampa Bay could only muster one shot on the man advantage.
At 3:48 into the period, the Lightning forecheck paid dividends. Ondrej Palat, the hero in Game Five, survived a little rub behind the net, but found enough space to center the puck to a waiting Steven Stamkos who slid it under the pads of Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper for his 11th of the playoffs. It was another poor effort by the Avalanche goaltender allowing such an innocent-looking goal.
Tampa Bay continued to press, flying all over the ice, hitting everything that moved and looking more like the team from Game Three than the team from Game Four.
Despite this pressure, with 4:28 to play, the Avalanche had their best chance of the period when Colorado’s Bowen Byram found the puck on his stick and no opponent near him. He fired a drive from in-close that Vasilevskiy made a confident left-pad save, directing the puck into the corner. Byram was stymied.
As the period came to a close, several players grappled to Vasilevskiy’s right, Tampa Bay’s Eric Cernak nearly leaving a Colorado stain of Darren Helm on the wall.
It wasn’t until late in the period that the Lightning regained the lead in shots 10-7 and leading 1-0 while Colorado held the edge in hits 18-17.
Just under two minutes into the period and with a delayed penalty signalled for, Nathan MacKinnon was set-up to the right of Vasilevskiy and blasted a one-timer to tie the score, his 13th of the playoffs.
The excellent play by Gabriel Landeskog to keep the puck in before his pass to Bowen Byram who set up MacKinnon reflected the potent playmaking of this Avalanche squad and how in no rtime at all, they can climb back into any game.
Both clubs continued to pressure with end-to-end sequences fitting for a game of this magnitude. Colorado seemed to become re-energized with the tying goal and Tampa Bay doing all they can to muster up more offense.
With just over six minutes into the period, Lightning veteran Corey Perry made a sensational play while falling to get a shot off, seemingly destined for a spot just inside the post, but Kuemper popped the right pad out and deflected the puck into the corner.
With just under eleven minutes in the period, Makar hit J.T. Compher with a stretch pass and went in along on Vasilevskiy, but the play was whistled offside with the ensuing face-off deep in the Colorado zone.
Both teams ten went on a five-minute stretch where they traded scoring chances. Finally, one of them found the net for the visitors.
After a series of plays leaving the home fans and players exasperated after several clear missed calls, Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen found a MacKinnon pass that he deposited over Vasilevskiy’s blocker, just under the bar. John Manson made a fine play to start the scoring effort. The Avalanche had their first lead since overtime of Game Four.
Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon was incensed with the missed interference call, a contributing factor which lead to the go-ahead goal.
Then with just more than five minutes left in the period, Tampa Bay’s Ryan McDonagh was called for boarding Darren Helm, leading to another Colorado power play. McDonagh also swatted the puck toward the official as he was skating to the penalty box to assess the penalty, something worthy of a 1-minute misconduct.
Colorado had the better chances in the second period taking the edge in shots 22-19, in hits 35-27 and with the all-important lead with two goals and 2-1 score.
The third period started off just about the same as the second period ended, with more Colorado pressure and a half dozen great chances which could have really put a hurt on the Lightning. The defending champs evaded disaster.
As the period wore on, Colorado proceeded to make the safe play, keep the puck out of their own zone, not puck pursue deep in the Tampa Bay zone.
The Lightning had a great chance with a little less than seven minutes to play, but Kuemper smothered Tampa Bay Nikita Kucherov’s drive to get the face-off.
There were few chances by the defending champs in the closing minutes.
The game ended with Colorado with the edge in shots 30-23, a process similar to how they played in Game Four, when the slowly shifted momentum after the Lightning led with the opening goal. The Avalanche are sure to be this competitive for years to come.
Dennis Morrell has enjoyed many years of experience in the great game as a writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and current active USA Hockey-certified referee with over 2,000 games donning the striped jersey and keeping the game fair and safe. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at skaters at Clayton’s Shaw Park. He can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
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