It took some extra time, but the Avalanche finally kicked off the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals with a bang.
Colorado beat the Lightning, 4–3, in overtime of Game 1 in what was an instant classic. The Avalanche scored the decisive goal when André Burakovsky found the back of the net 1:23 into the first overtime period.
The game got off to a breakneck start, with the Avalanche jumping out to a 2–0 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes. Gabriel Landeskog scored the game’s first goal with assists from Mikko Rantanen and Bowen Byram, followed by a goal less than two minutes later from Valeri Nichushkin.