2022 NHL Stanley Cup finals: who won the regular season games between Lightning and Avalanche?
Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals was a nail-biter, going down to the wire, but how have these two teams fared against each other during the regular season?
With the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals going to overtime, this meeting is a true clash of titans. When they met in the regular season, the sparks flew on both occasions and if we can judge past as precedent, then we have a real battle on our hands for the final series.
Back in October, these two met at Amelie Arena in Tampa, when it went to a shootout. Colorado’s Cale Makar scored the winner in the sixth round of the shootout, after Darcy Kuemper saved Anthony Cirelli’s shot.
Noting that Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy wasn’t really down yet, Makar just threw it at the five-hole for the win.
During that battle, which ended a three-game losing streak for the Avalanche, Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and an assist, Mikko Rantanen scored, and Kuemper made 29 saves.
When the two teams met again at the Ball Arena in Denver in February, it was on slightly different terms. The Avalanche had gone from a losing streak to a point streak, extending it to 18 games with the home win over Tampa.
Devon Toews had a goal and an assist, Gabriel Landeskog scored his 20th goal of the season, and Darcy Kuemper made 35 saves.
With a 4-3 win in the first meeting and a 3-2 win in the second, Colorado have the edge on Tampa, but with each meeting going down to the wire, it is only a matter of time before the tables turn on the Avs and the Lightning will take the victory.
Colorado is 5-2 on home ice in the playoffs, and a perfect 7-0 on the road, while Tampa Bay is 5-4 on the road, but 7-1 at home.
With the best in the West attempting to dethrone and Eastern dynasty on a historic run, the Stanley Cup just could not get any better than this.