Stanley Cup Final Series Preview: Avalanche vs. Bolts

The 2022 Stanley Cup Final is set.
The Colorado Avalanche will take on the two-time defending champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Cup Final beginning with Game 1 on Wednesday, June 15.

Its the first Stanley Cup Final appearance for the Avalanche since 2001 and the third-straight appearance for the Lightning, who have won two-consecutive titles.
The Avalanche advanced after completing a sweep in the best-of-seven Western Conference Final series over the Edmonton Oilers, while Tampa Bay returned to the Final after clinching their series over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
After clinching the top seed in the Western Conference and the second-best record during the regular season, the Avalanche have the advantage of home ice. Game 1 between Colorado and Tampa Bay will begin on Wednesday night at Ball Arena with a 6 p.m. MT puck drop.
Here's a comprehensive look at the 2022 Stanley Cup Final matchup between the Avs and Bolts:

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LOOKING BACK AT THE REGULAR SEASON SERIES:

During the regular season, both meetings between the Avalanche and Bolts were tight, but Colorado picked up wins in each of them.
The Avs picked up a 4-3 shootout road win on Oct. 23, 2021 in the first meeting of the regular season and then edged Tampa Bay 3-2 on Feb. 10 on home ice.
Gabriel Landeskog
paced the Avalanche with two goals and three points (2G, 1A) in one game, while
Nathan MacKinnon
also recorded three points (1G, 2A) in both of the meetings.
For Tampa Bay, Brayden Point recorded a team-high three points (2G, 1A) in the two meetings, while Ondrej Palat (2A) and Steven Stamkos (1G, 1A) recorded two points each.

THE LAST POSTSEASON MEETING:

This marks the first time-ever that Colorado and Tampa Bay have met in the postseasons in their respective franchise histories.
This will also be the first time in NHL history that the Final will be played between two teams where neither names of the teams end in an 'S.'

Tweet from @Avalanche: See you Wednesday.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/m7UON3AHkU

SCOUTING THE BOLTS:

The Bolts finished the regular season ranked third in the Atlantic Division with a 51-23-8 record and 110 points. Tampa Bay advanced to its third-straight Stanley Cup Final after defeating the New York Rangers (4-2) in the Eastern Conference Final.
This marked the fifth-straight berth to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Tampa Bay and the third-straight time back in the Stanley Cup Final and fifth appearance in the Final in franchise history.
This postseason run has featured a Game 7 (First Round against Toronto), a Second Round sweep (over the Florida Panthers), and a Game 6 in the Easetern Conference Final (after trailing 2-0 in the series, the Lightning won four-straight games to advance to the Final).
During the regular season, Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Lightning, reached the 100-point mark for the first time in his 14-year NHL career. He's carried over that success as he leads his team in goals with nine and has compiled 15 points (9G, 6A) through 17 games during this run. Nikita Kucherov has paced the lightning in scoring with 23 points (7G, 16A) through 17 games.
So far during this run, Tampa Bay has benefitted from receiving contributions from the entirety of its lineup as all but one skater has recorded at least a point and all but five skaters have found the back of the net.

Tweet from @Avalanche: ���The toughest round is still ahead of us���. It���s going to be fun to see what we can do as a group.���#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/eZ3XEfipWg

INJURY STATUS:

Colorado enters the Stanley Cup Final with a few injuries as Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano both underwent 'similar' surgeries for their respective upper-body injuries following the Western Conference Final and are 'possibilities' to return for the Final. Samuel Girard, who suffered a broken sternum in Game 3 of the Second Round against St. Louis, is out indefinitely.
For Tampa Bay, the team benefits from a healthy lineup with the only exception of winger Brayden Point, who has not been in the lineup since Game 7 of the First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering a lower-body injury. Point has resumed skating and was confirmed as "extremely probable" to make his return at some point during the Stanley Cup Final per Tampa Bay Head Coach Jon Cooper, but Cooper noted he wasn't "sure" if Point would be available for Game 1.
The winger joined Tampa Bay for practice on Monday afternoon before their team departed for Denver and he centered a line between Nick Paul and Ross Colton.

Video: Toyota Game Recap: WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS

LETHAL OFFENSES ON BOTH SIDES:

The Avalanche showcased their depth against the Oilers as 16-of-20 skaters recorded at least a point in the four-game series and had 10 of those 16 skaters produce multi-point outings.
Cale Makar
paced the team with nine points (2G, 7A), including a five-point (1G, 4A) effort in the Avalanche's successful closeout Game 4.
Mikko Rantanen
led the team in goals with four, while also tallying two assists.
Colorado's offense averaged 4.30 goals for per game, the second-most in the NHL throughout the series. The Avalanche also averaged the second-most shots for per game (but most among teams remaining in playoffs) with a nightly average of 39.8 shots.
Colorado's offense averaged 5.50 goals for per game, the most in the NHL throughout the series. In addition to scoring four-plus goals in all four games, the team also put up six-plus goals twice in the series (Games 1 and 4). The Avs also averaged the most shots for per game of the remaining teams with a nightly average of 40.7 shots.
Including Makar and Rantanen,
Artturi Lehkonen
(2G, 4A),
Gabriel Landeskog
(2G, 4A),
Nathan MacKinnon
(3G, 2A),
Devon Toews
(1G, 4A),
Nazem Kadri
(1G, 3A),
J.T. Compher
(3G),
Valeri Nichushkin
(2G),
Andrew Cogliano
(1G, 1A), all recorded multi-point efforts in the four-game series.
Of the game-winning goals in the series, Lehkonen scored two of them - including the series clinching goal in overtime of Game 4 - while Cogliano and Compher also came through clutch with game-winning strikes.
Like the Avalanche, the Lightning's roster is composed with high-end talent scattered throughout the top six and a solid bottom six to round out the extensive forward depth.
The Lightning have averaged 3.06 goals for per game, but are the stingiest team defensively - since the Second Round - with a 2.41 goals against average.

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GOALTENDING:

Avalanche:
Darcy Kuemper
made the start in Game 1 of the series against Edmonton, but left the game at 7:19 in the second period due to an upper-body injury and had made 13 saves prior. In his place,
Pavel Francouz
took over and made 18 saves on 21 shots in relief and finished out the series.
Francouz finished the series with four wins, 99 saves on 109 shots, a .908 SV%, a 2.81 GAA and one shutout.
Kuemper backed up Francouz for Game 4 of the series and both netminders are available for the Stanley Cup Final.
Lightning:
Andrei Vasilevskiy has backstopped the Lightning to two-straight Stanley Cup victories and won the 2021 Conn Smythe, awarded to the most valuable player of playoffs. Vasilevskiy has also recorded seven-career shutouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and in his last eight series-clinching wins has posted a 0.25 GAA, a .991 SV% and six shutouts.
Against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final, the Russian netminder made 159 saves on 173 shots and recorded a 2.35 GAA, a .919 SV% through six starts.

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FAMILIAR FACES:

There's some close ties in this matchup between the Avs and the Lightning.
Former Avalanche forward Pierre Edouard-Bellmare, who spent two seasons in Colorado from 2019-21, joined Tampa Bay as a free agent during last summer. The French winger currently centers the fourth line for the Bolts between Patrick Maroon and Riley Nash. Bellemare has totaled three points (2G, 1A) through 17 games. Both of his goals were game winners and he is tied with Ondrej Palat for the most during this postseason run.
Defenseman Cal Foote, the eldest son of former Avalanche legendary defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Foote - who's No. 52 is retired in the rafters at Ball Arena - is a member of the Lightning. Foote was drafted by the club 14th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. Cal Foote, 23, has dressed in 13 games this postseason for Tampa Bay - including Games 1 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Final - and has compiled two assists .

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MAKAR VS. HEDMAN

This series is headlined by two Norris Trophy Finalists in Cale Makar and Victor Hedman.
Makar (26) and Hedman (25) both have some of - if not the best - sharp edgework, volant speed and abilities to change the course of a game on a dime.
Makar leads the Avalanche in scoring with 22 points (5G, 17A) during this postseason run and tallied five points (1G, 4A) in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final and totaled nine points (2G, 7A) in the series..
Hedman has paced Tampa Bay's blueline in scoring during this run with 14 points (2G, 12A) through 17 games and tallied both of his goals on the power play. Against the Rangers, Hedman handed out 4 four assists.
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound Swede is a Finalist for the 2022 Norris Trophy along with Makar and Nashville's Roman Josi. Hedman previously won the award in 2018 and is a five-time Finalist for it. The 31-year-old also won the Conn Smythe during Tampa Bay's first of its back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020.

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POTENTIAL X-FACTORS:

Colorado winger Andre Burakovsky:
Burakovsky is one of two players for Colorado who has not just reached the Stanley Cup Final previously, but knows what it takes to go the full distance and hoist the coveted Cup as he did so with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
The Swedish winger has been versatile for Colorado throughout the entirety of the regular season and playoffs run where he's occupied roles among the team's top six as well as more forechecking roles as needed on the third line.
With Nazem Kadri out of the lineup - since early Game 3 of the WCF -, Burakovsky occupied an elevated role for the Avs alongside Finnish forwards in Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen.
Through 10 games during this run, Burakovsky has posted five points (1G, 4A), including two assists in the series against Edmonton.
Tampa Bay winger Alex Killorn:
Alex Killorn has been a key fixture for Tampa Bay throughout their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs and is a staple among the team's veteran core, where he is recognized as a leader on the team.
Despite not scoring yet in this postseason run for the Lightning, Killorn is a member of Tampa Bay's shutdown line alongside Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, who the Lightning acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline from Chicago. The trio have effectively gone head-to-head against some of the top offensive lines of some of the best offensive teams in the NHL throughout the run where the Lightning advanced past Toronto in the First Round, swept the President's Trophy winning Florida Panthers in the Second Round and defeated the New York Rangers in the ECF.
Killorn has been a scorer in previous runs for the Lightning like last year's Cup run where he totaled 17 points on eight goals, including fours strikes on the power play.
For the full 2022 Stanley Cup Final schedule between the Avalanche and Lightning,
click here
.