Colorado lifted the Stanley Cup for the third time in its history, defeating two-time defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1) in the North American Hockey League (NHL) on Sunday. Colorado, which was already crowned in 1996 և in 2001, dominated the series 4-2 և, first put an end to the kingdom of Tampa Bay, which flew over the NHL from the 2019-20 season, especially thanks to its two Russians. fertile striker Nikita Hucherov և goalkeeper Andri Vasilsky.
While they had only one game to celebrate, the Avalanche players had the ball bent in front of their home crowd on Friday (3-2). But they knew how to respond perfectly to Tampa Bay to avoid a tense final in Denver. The result of this final, which was played in the top seven sets, owes a lot to Nathan McKinnon, the author of the goal-assist. «It’s unbelievable, the hero of the evening came down. It is difficult to explain. Words cannot describe how I feel now.»
On the other hand, the best player in the playoffs was recognized by his Canadian teammate Kayle Makar, who scored 8 goals and 21 assists in 19 games. «“It’s great to be part of this group and be rewarded,” said the 23-year-old defender. I’m so proud of guys. I grew up with Stanley Cup pictures on my living room walls. It ‘s surreal: unbelievable.»«“The last three years have been incredible,” said Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos. It would be an incredible season for many other teams, but for us it is a disappointing ending«.
In this 2022 final, Alternate strikers Colorado, Nashville (4-0), St. Louis (4-2) and Edmonton (4-0) are always in the lead, winning the first two home games, including the second, where Avalanche buried Lightning. -0: Tampa Bay regained hope by offering their third fight in Florida 6-2, but Colorado repeated the break to take a 3-1 lead before missing out on the first chance to close the series on Friday.
Colorado, led by McKinnon (32 goals in the regular season), finished second in the first round of the 2021-22 championship. Prior to this season, Avalanche had not reached the conference semifinals since 2002. Just five seasons ago, the Denver franchise was ridiculous for the NHL after finishing the 2016-17 regular season with 22 wins և 60 with a disastrous record. The losses are one of the worst in history.
Source: Le Figaro
