“Lightning doesn’t strike twice,” they say, but whoever “they” are, are metaphorically and scientifically wrong. The Tampa Bay Lightning proved that to be a fallacy in winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. Aside from Tampa Bay, lightning often strikes twice, especially on tall, isolated objects. The Empire State Building gets hit an average of 25 times a year. After the New York Rangers blew their 2-0 series lead and fell to the Lightning in four consecutive games, I bet they feel like their iconic building.
With the Lightening’s comeback win over the Rangers, they will be entering their third consecutive Finals, the first team to do so since Gretzky’s Oilers in the 80s. Tampa will attempt to be the first team to three-peat since the Islanders’ dynastic run from 1979-83, where they won four straight.
The Stanley Cup is the hardest professional sports trophy to hoist, even harder in an era of salary caps. Six teams have won back-to-back Cups since the days of the Islanders and Oilers, but none have won three. Tampa aims to make history. They will do so with a star-studded roster that has more or less stayed intact since they began their cup runs, with their backbone being the nearly unstoppable Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.
The Russian was drafted by the club in 2012 and has been in their net since 2014. He led the team to their two Stanley Cups, winning the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender in 2019 and the Conn Smythe in 2021. “The Big Cat” has a lion on his helmet in honor of his zodiac sign (Leo), and of his love of cats, he is the type of player that plays his best when the steaks are high. In the last 16 postseason games where he has had the opportunity to eliminate his opponents, he is 11-5, and six of those shutouts.
Vasilevskiy alone could carry a team to victory but then add the offense ability of Nikita Kucherov and captain Steven Stamkos, to name a few. The Lighting are good. Really good. You can’t make it to three consecutive Finals by mistake.
The Avalanche will now aim to dethrone the champions.
The Avs swept the two-game season series 2-0, the first coming from a 4-3 shootout in Tampa and the last time a 3-2 regulation win at Ball Arena. Both meet-ups were close games with relatively even shots on goal. After Tampa swept the Presidential Trophy winners, the Florida Panthers, in the Second Round, this is the match-up everyone anticipated: the best in the West meets the best of the East.
So far, the Avs have dominated their opponents, and for the first time, this postseason will be facing a goaltender who is finally up to the challenge of stopping our offense. Every game is going to be a hard-fought battle.
Kuemper has been cleared and will likely be the one to take up the posts for the Avs. If the Avs are going to win, he needs to be at his best. Kadri and Cogliano both underwent hand surgery, have not been ruled out of play for the series, and have been skating with the team, but we will have to wait to see if they will be available.
Missing Kadri from the lineup would be a huge gain for the Lightning, but the Avs have shown their ability to overcome adversity so far this year.
When the top line isn’t generating points, the other lines show up. Fourth-liner, JT Compher has five goals and two assists in the playoffs.
When they went 2/14 in power plays in the first three games vs. the Oilers, they still scored 14 even-strength goals, and in Game 4 were able to get two PPGs.
When Darcy was injured in the First and then again in the Third Round, Frankie stepped in as if he had been net all year and closed out both series in a sweep.
The Avalanche know they can win in any way, which undoubtedly the Lightning can do as well, and that is why we are set up for a great Stanley Cup Final. The Avs are facing their toughest opponents by far this postseason, and what better stage than the Stanley Cup Finals. It is about time that everyone else can see what we have seen for years: the Avs are truly Cup contenders. If I wasn’t such a fan, I could enjoy this, but my blood pressure has risen just by writing this.
However, it is all out of our hands at this point, not that it ever was in our hands. Landeskog and MacKinnon have been helping to build their team to get to this point for years. We’ve finally made it, and now we can only wait and see exactly what they are made of. Are they up to the challenge? Without a doubt. After all, the lack of hot air ends a lightning storm, and what kills hot air more than an Avalanche?
Avs in six.