Thanks to a goal from captain Steven Stamkos, the Lightning quickly took the lead 1-0. But after that, the Avalanche gained control of the contest. Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen scored goals for Colorado after they controlled the second period. After taking a 2-1 lead into the locker room, the Avs shut down the Lightning.
In the third quarter, Colorado totally shut down Tampa Bay. Only about 10 minutes remained in regulation before the Lightning managed to get a shot on Darcy Kuemper. The Avs continued to be proactive in the last 20 minutes because they weren’t willing to just wait for the time to run out, which made things extremely tough for the Lightning. Tampa Bay was unable to threaten Darcy Kuemper with any meaningful shots, not even with the goal empty. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001 with this victory. For a team that finished bottom in the NHL standings five years ago, this is a noteworthy accomplishment.
