NHL reflects back on the moment everything changed for the Avalanche
Photo credit: ColoradoHockeyNow.com
Three years have passed since the Colorado Avalanche completed one of the most dominant playoff runs in the NHL history.
Their 2-1 road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning sealed the championship and ended Tampa Bay's quest for a three-peat after their back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.
NHL highlights Avalanche's defining franchise moment.
Trent Finnegan from Denver Sports writes that Avs fans felt a deep unease that Sunday night in Tampa after losing a golden chance to clinch the Cup at home, falling 3-2. Despite a strong start to the series, momentum abruptly swung toward the seasoned Lightning, energized by their lively crowd at Amalie Arena.
"After the first frame, Tampa led 1-0 and had even more momentum on their side after Colorado wasn't able to generate anything in the offensive zone for the first 20 minutes. Steven Stamkos put Tampa on the board just minutes in, making the fight for a Stanley Cup an uphill battle for the entire game on the other side." -Finnegan
But the Avalanche, who ranked fourth in goals per game during the regular season, weren't about to stay quiet for long, Nathan MacKinnon swiftly tied the game, scoring just under two minutes into the second period.
A little over 10 minutes later, bouncing puck landed perfectly on Artturi Lehkonen's stick during a 3-on-2 breakaway, and he scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
"While the talk surrounding that Avalanche team is always about how dominant they were, the third period showed the true grit and camaraderie of that hockey club. Those last 20 minutes were some of the ugliest, most physical, grittiest hockey any Avalanche fan has ever seen, but the guys on the ice executed Jared Bednar's defensive gameplan perfectly to ensure that two goals was all they needed to lift Lord Stanley a mile high." -Finnegan
This achievement marked a turning point for MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson, and the rest of the Avalanche core, who had endured several playoff disappointments in recent years.
They became only the sixth team in NHL history to lose four or fewer game during a 16-win Stanley Cup run, and the first to do so since the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. The 1988 Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, remain the only team to complete the playoffs in fewer than 20 games.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 26 | 30 ANSWERS NHL reflects back on the moment everything changed for the Avalanche Do you think the Avalanche have a strong chance of winning the Stanley Cup next season? | ||
| yes | 23 | 76.7 % |
| no | 7 | 23.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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