Avalanche hoist Stanley Cup in series win over Lightning originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
And there is a new champion in the NHL.
The Colorado Avalanche buried the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 on Sunday to win the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final, ending Tampa Bay’s two-year streak of lifting the league’s most-prized trophy.
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Colorado came into the contest with a three-games-to-two series lead after failing to close out the Lightning at home in Game 5.
The Lightning kept the sky bright in the first period of Game 6 when Steven Stamkos opened the scoring. But the Avalanche found some attacking rhythm and kept storming down the ice in the second period to find an equalizer. They got the tying goal from Nathan McKinnon early on while Artturi Lehkonen netted the go-ahead shot.
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Colorado entered the third period with a 9-1 record in this postseason when leading after two periods, and that dominant run extended to 10 with the win. Tampa Bay went about 10 minutes into the period without registering a shot and just couldn’t find the equalizer to force overtime.
The win marks Colorado’s third NHL Stanley Cup trophy in franchise history. The team’s previous successes in the final came in the 1995-96 and 2000-01 campaigns.
On the other side, the Lightning tasted defeat in the final after winning two consecutive trophies the last two seasons. Tampa Bay won its first of three championships in the 2003-04 season, but it couldn’t join the exclusive list of teams that have three-peated.
Defenseman Cale Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy after a 29-point postseason.
