DENVER — Recreation 1 of the Stanley Cup finals was described because the challenger catching as much as the reigning champion. In Recreation 2, the challenger flew proper on previous.
The Colorado Avalanche, forecast a number of years in the past by many to rapidly ascend the ladder to N.H.L. greatness, are two victories away from successful the Stanley Cup after a 7-0 destruction of the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in a recreation that felt like a coming-out occasion.
The query now: Can Tampa Bay revive itself, because it did within the Japanese Convention finals after the Rangers grabbed a short-lived 2-0 collection lead? Or is the hockey world witnessing the switch of energy from a dignified however exhausted champion to a younger, dynamic workforce of the longer term? Was Recreation 2 an aberration or has Colorado arrived with extra urgency than anybody had predicted?
“They’re taking part in at an elite stage proper now, give them credit score,” Lightning Coach Jon Cooper stated. “We aren’t.”
The toughest half nonetheless lies forward for Colorado. The following two video games, together with Recreation 3 on Monday night time, are at sea stage in Tampa, Fla., and no workforce in three seasons has discovered a method to knock out the champion thus far. Tampa Bay has gained 11 straight playoff collection, however the Avalanche have the look of a unique creature.
Coming into the finals, some Lightning gamers acknowledged Colorado can be the perfect workforce they’ve confronted on this championship run. However they by no means meant to recommend the Avalanche had been higher. Two video games into the collection, although, Colorado appears sooner, extra harmful, brisker and much more dedicated.
“There’s a nice line between having respect in your opponent and an excessive amount of respect in your opponent,” Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Lightning, stated. “We have to notice that we received right here for a motive. Let’s get again to our recreation and perceive they’ve an unbelievable workforce over there with nice ability at each place. However so will we. So let’s discover out what we’re manufactured from once they get again house.”
It’s changing into more and more clear what Colorado is manufactured from. Led by a world-class playmaker, Nathan MacKinnon, and a transcendent, puck-moving defenseman, Cale Makar, the workforce additionally has a scorching supporting solid. It consists of forwards Mikko Rantanen, Andre Burakovsky, Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin, who scored twice in Recreation 2, plus the defenseman Devon Toews. All of them are youthful than 30.
The Lightning, with the second-oldest common age of any workforce within the N.H.L., have relied on their expertise to outplay opponents the final couple of years, however accruing all that have could have taken a toll.
Going deep into the postseason two years in a row, Tampa Bay has performed extra video games than some other workforce in that span, and any potential fatigue could have been exacerbated by the altitude throughout Video games 1 and a couple of. Denver sits at roughly a mile above sea stage, which can have affected the Lightning’s performances. If that’s the case, a return to sea stage for Video games 3 and 4 might assist.
They want it. After Recreation 1, which went to additional time, the Lightning spoke of getting a greater understanding of how the Avalanche play. But it surely was Colorado that enhanced its benefit with a brand new set of achievements.
It grew to become the second workforce in additional than 100 years to register a shutout within the Stanley Cup finals with a margin of greater than seven objectives, after the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat the Minnesota North Stars, 8-0, within the clinching Recreation 6 that yr.
Colorado additionally grew to become the third workforce to attain seven objectives 4 occasions in a single postseason, becoming a member of the Edmonton Oilers, who did it six occasions in 1984 and 5 occasions in 1985, in an period when objectives had been scored at a better fee than in in the present day’s recreation.
And with Makar scoring twice in Recreation 2, the Avalanche’s blue liners have 17 objectives (seven by Makar) and 61 factors in these playoffs, a report for Colorado defensemen. Makar sniped a short-handed aim and added one other on an influence play, making him the second N.H.L. defenseman to attain on each side of a person benefit in a Stanley Cup finals recreation. Glen Wesley of the Boston Bruins did it in 1988 in opposition to Edmonton.
Colorado has gained seven consecutive playoff video games, together with its sweep of the Oilers within the Western Convention finals, and is 7-0 on the street — a juggernaut reaching peak velocity in Recreation 2 of the finals.
“It was definitely as near an ideal recreation as you will get from the gamers,” Avalanche Coach Jared Bednar stated.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay’s usually excellent goalie, bore the brunt of the onslaught, permitting extra objectives than he had ever given up in a postseason recreation. Most of it was not his fault. Colorado’s depraved tempo helped create quite a few premium possibilities, a few of which Vasilevskiy saved with exceptional dexterity.
“We hung him out to dry,” Stamkos stated. “We owe it to him to have a greater recreation subsequent recreation.”
Vasilevskiy has not been changed in a playoff recreation since 2018, a streak of 77 video games, and Cooper stated he didn’t ponder eradicating him from Recreation 2.
“Even when I did, I don’t suppose he would have come out,” Cooper stated. “That’s what a competitor he’s. That’s why he’s the perfect.”
Stamkos stated the time had come for all of the Lightning gamers to “man up,” and Victor Hedman, a veteran defenseman, stated the workforce would determine it out at house. However what confounded Cooper was the absence of pushback in opposition to a workforce that was zooming previous his.
Though the Avalanche are far completely different from the Rangers, Cooper stated, the Lightning can draw on their expertise in opposition to New York of abruptly reversing course at house.
“We’ve written one story,” Cooper stated. “Now we simply have to jot down one other.”
