Top moments of season for Stanley Cup champion Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup for the third time in their history with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

Colorado was 16-4 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They swept the Nashville Predators in the first round, defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round and defeated the Oilers in the conference final in four games before knocking out the defending champion Lightning in six games.
The Avalanche also won the Stanley Cup in 1996, sweeping the Florida Panthers, and in 2001 defeating the New Jersey Devils in seven games.
RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]
Here are some of the highlights for the Avalanche on their road to the Stanley Cup championship:
BEST MOMENT:Receiving the Stanley Cup -- For the first time since 2021, the Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup. Forward Gabriel Landeskog, who has been the captain for 10 seasons received it from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and skated with it before handing it to defenseman Erik Johnson, the longest-tenured member of the team (12 seasons). Johnson passed it to Andrew Cogliano, who gave it to Nathan MacKinnon. Defenseman Cale Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP finishing with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games.
TURNING POINT:Advancing to West Final -- The Avalanche hadn't gotten to the third round of the playoffs since 2002, when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the Western Conference Final, and had lost in the second round each of the past three seasons. Colorado blew two leads, including 3-0, in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of the second round. Forward Darren Helm put any fears of another early playoff exit to rest when he scored with 5.6 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Avalanche a 3-2 win in Game 6 and a spot in the West final.

BEST MOVES MADE: Signing Helm, acquiring Lehkonen, Cogliano, Josh Manson -- Each made an impact in the playoffs, including Lehkonen, who was acquired in a trade with the Canadiens on March 21, and Helm, who signed a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent on July 29, 2021. Helm, who also won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008, had five points (two goals, three assists) in 20 games and gave the Avalanche depth scoring. Cogliano, acquired from the San Jose Sharks, on March 21, had six points (three goals, three assists) in 16 postseason games and added great penalty killing experience. Manson, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on March 14, had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 20 games and added depth to an already strong defensive group
BEST MOVE NOT MADE:Keeping Landeskog--The forward could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 28, 2021, but the Avalanche signed him to an eight-year contract the day before to avoid that. It could've ended badly: two weeks before signing, Landeskog said he was "disappointed" in how contract talks were going with Colorado. Keeping the left wing meant the Avalanche retained their 1-2 punch on the top line with him and MacKinnon. Landeskog had 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 51 regular-season games and had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in the playoffs.
SIGNATURE WIN (REGULAR SEASON):Jan. 30 vs. Buffalo Sabres -- The 4-1 win against the Sabres set a few marks for the Avalanche. It was their 10th consecutive win, capping their longest streak of the season, and it was their 18th consecutive win at Ball Arena. The Avalanche also set an NHL record for most wins in January with 15 and tied the Boston Bruins (March 2014) and Pittsburgh Penguins (March 2013) for most wins in any month.
SIGNATURE WIN (PLAYOFFS):Game 2 vs. Oilers, Western Conference Final --The Avalanche and Oilers each talked of cleaning things up and being better defensively after Colorado defeated Edmonton 8-6 in Game 1. The Avalanche made those words count in Game 2, a 4-0 win. Colorado outshot Edmonton 40-24, holding the Oilers to six shots on goal in the second period and five in the third. Goalie Pavel Francouz, who got the start after Darcy Kuemper was injured in Game 1, made 24 saves for his second career playoff shutout. "You were a little nervous and you have it in the back of your mind. It's a really important game," Francouz said. "But what helped me was the way our team played tonight since [the] first seconds. I knew [they'd] help me a lot. That made me more calm and I could just focus on my play."

MVP: Cale Makar -- The No. 4 pick by the Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Draft made his League debut in the 2019 playoffs and has been good in them ever since. That's never been truer than in this year's playoffs, when Makar lead the Avalanche in scoring, and average ice time per game (27:04). In Game 4 against the Oilers, he became the first defenseman in NHL history to have five points (one goal, four assists) in a series-clinching game. Makar has 60 points (15 goals, 45 assists) in 60 playoff games.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bowen Byram -- The No. 4 pick by the Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft, Byram had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 30 regular-season games this season. He began taking on a bigger role in the playoffs, playing at least 18 minutes in 12 of the 13 games since defenseman Samuel Girard sustained a broken sternum in Game 3 of the second round against the Blues. Byram had nine assists in 20 games to rank first in playoff scoring among rookies.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: J.T. Compher -- The forward has been a solid contributor since making his NHL debut with the Avalanche on March 2, 2017. Compher had eight points (five goals, three assists) in 20 playoff games, including a career high in playoff goals. His eight points tied his high he had in 15 games in the 2020 playoffs.