With a victory on Friday night at Ball Arena, the Avalanche will win the Stanley Cup for the third time and prevent the Tampa Bay Lightning from a three-peat.
Five things to watch for Game 5
1) Close it out at home. The Avalanche haven’t closed out a playoff series at home since 2008. They can win the Stanley Cup in front of the burgundy-and-blue faithful at Ball Arena for Denver’s biggest hockey celebration since 2001.
“It’s going to be great,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Thursday morning at the Tampa airport.