It’s hard to believe tonight was the start of the Stanley Cup Final, yet it also feels inevitable that the Colorado Avalanche reached this point. A match-up against two-time consecutive champions Tampa Bay Lightning was sure to be exciting, and we were not disappointed.
The first period
What was sure to be a fast-paced start was hampered slightly by a loose stick and three whistles within the first 30 seconds of the game, but the Avalanche were able to regroup and begin to apply pressure on Tampa Bay. Mikko Rantanen had a good scoring chance which was denied by Andrei Vasilevskiy, nevertheless, it was a glimpse of what was to come from Colorado.