2022 Cup Final to feature heavyweight matchup between the Bolts and Avs

And then there were two.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to kick off their third-straight Stanley Cup Final when they take on the Colorado Avalanche at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night at Ball Arena in Denver.
It's a matchup that's been anticipated for some time, with both the Bolts and Avs being powerhouses in their respective Conferences for the past several years.
Now, the two titans will clash in the final series of the 2022 NHL season.

So, what can Lightning fans expect from a team that Tampa Bay has only played on two occasions this season? A team with multiple superstars and a lot of speed, skill, and depth.
Colorado enters the Stanley Cup Final after losing just two games in the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Avs have recorded two sweeps this postseason, beating the Nashville Predators in four games in Round One and taking down the Edmonton Oilers in four contests in the Western Conference Final. In Round Two, Colorado defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games.
With players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche have plenty of star power. At the beginning of the regular season, this is a team that most analysts had pegged to be the Western Conference Champion.
"They have some superstars on this team," said Corey Perry. "It starts with the back end with Makar. It goes to MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog. They can put the puck in the back of the net different ways.

"They're a team that is a skating team. They're built for speed. We have to be on our toes.
"That's going to be a big thing for us, is making sure that we're ready to play right from the start because you know what kind of team they are and what they're all about."
When the puck drops on Game 1, it will be the third-straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final for Perry, who fell to Tampa Bay in back-to-back seasons playing with the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens.
'The Worm' has had an illustrious career to this point. He's won a Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and a Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer when he lit the lamp 50 times in the 2010-11 season. He hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks back in 2007, his second year in the NHL. He's one of just four active NHL players to be a member of the Triple Gold Club, an exclusive group of players who have won a gold medal at a World Championship and Olympic Games, along with a Stanley Cup.
He's skated in 184 career playoff games. The only active players who have more are Joe Thornton with 187 and Zdeno Chara with 200. There's a fair chance that both of those players will retire this offseason, while Perry is set to be back with Tampa Bay next season on the second year of his two-year contract. Overall, only 30 players in NHL history have skated in more playoff games than Perry.
A leader both on and off the ice for the Bolts, Perry's presence has meant a lot for his team this season. Like the Lightning, he's grinded through three long playoff runs over the past three seasons, but he never got a ring for that.
Tampa Bay wants a three-peat, no doubt. But they also want to win for players like Perry, along with guys who have never lifted the Cup, like Brian Elliott, Nick Paul, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Brandon Hagel.
"Corey's a great leader," said Pat Maroon, who is going for his fourth-straight Stanley Cup after winning with St. Louis before joining Tampa Bay. "There's a reason Dallas and Montreal went to the Stanley Cup Final with him. He's another one that has that contagious personality.
"Every single one of us know what's at stake. We want this for Perrs really bad. I think he deserves it. We're pulling for him.
"I know he's happy to be on our side. He was second guessing probably coming to our team with us beating him, but I think now that he's on our side right now, there's a little more urgency for us to go win and win this one for him."
When the Lightning weren't playing the right way against Toronto in Round One, it was Perry who stood up and sent a message to the whole group. That message has resonated with the Bolts and been brought up time and time again throughout this postseason.
"He just stood up and he had a nice little tone," Maroon explained. "I thought what he said was great.
"I'll give you guys what he kind of said, but it was more like, 'When you play Tampa Bay Lightning hockey, I've dealt with it the past two years. When you guys play the right way, you just smother teams and it's so hard. It's so difficult.'
"That's basically what he said. He's like, 'This is the team I know. This is why I wanted to come here.'
"It was kind of like an eye-opener for us."

Surely, Tampa Bay will need to play that patented game as they enter a matchup against arguably their toughest opponent to date. But, like the Avalanche, the Lightning don't lack star power on their side either. There's Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, and, of course, Andrei Vasilevskiy. That core has got the Bolts where they are today, their third-straight Stanley Cup Final.
After taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers in the first three rounds, the Lightning gained a lot of experience against some high-flying offenses. The Avalanche enter this series averaging 4.64 goals per game and 40.7 shots per game, which both lead the playoffs among teams that played 10 or more games. Their power play ranks second overall with a conversion rate of 31.1%.
Tampa Bay will have their hands full with their toughest test yet, but it's defense that got the Lightning here in the first place. They were able to shut down Toronto, Florida, and New York before getting to the biggest stage in hockey. Now, they'll have to do that one more time.
"We've just had to adapt our game and find ways to beat teams," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. "You have to play the game different ways at times.
"We have a belief in how we play. We have a system and we trust what we do, but you do have to tinker with it a little bit just to combat these high-octane teams. That's why I've got to give the players so much credit because they commit to doing it."
The Bolts will get a big boost on Wednesday night as it looks like Brayden Point will return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the First Round against Toronto. Tampa Bay may have to play Game 1 without Brandon Hagel, who will be a game-time decision.
"It gets everybody excited," said Mikhail Sergachev after Point was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. "We want to see him out there. We want to see him score goals and skate.
"He's kind of the motor of the team and he gets the boys going, so it's awesome. He's becoming a big leader in the room also, so it's great to see him back."
With a three-peat just four wins away, the Lightning are cherishing the opportunity they have at hand. The Bolts will have to fight through the altitude in Colorado, but the Avalanche will have to get back into game mode after a nine-day layoff following their sweep of the Oilers. Tampa Bay had to deal with a similar break after they took down Florida and showed some rust in Game 1 against New York.
"We needed the rest before the Rangers series and it paid off in the end for us," said Cooper. "I'm assuming Colorado probably needs a little rest too.

"They have the advantage of playing at home. They have the advantage of playing in front of their crowd. That probably gives them a little bit more edge than what we had.
"Who knows? They're so good. They might not look rusty to us, but their coach might say, 'Oh yeah, we were rusty.'
"They've got some advantages. The difference for us in this one is, yes, our turnaround is quick, but now you're coming into altitude."
The Lightning got into Denver on Monday and had a good practice on Tuesday in hopes of adjusting to the altitude. The effect is certainly real and the Bolts players will tell you they can feel it on the ice.
"I think it was good that we got here yesterday and got the practice in today to get ready for the game tomorrow," said Victor Hedman on Tuesday afternoon. "Hopefully the body's a little more acclimated to it.
"When you get in and out during the regular season, it's usually a tough game. We're not going to use anything as an excuse. We've got to go out there and play our game and make sure we know they're going to come out hot tomorrow night. We've just got to be able to match that."
Tampa Bay is so close to achieving something that hasn't been done in nearly 40 years, winning three-straight Stanley Cups. This may be their toughest test yet, but the Lightning are up to the challenge and ready to go for Game 1.
"You have to marvel at the guys for finding their way back year after year," said Cooper. "Just so many quality opponents that we've had to play. Obviously, the team that we're going to play here is going to pose quite an issue for us.
"Just the way that they've won in different ways. They've had to play high-flying offenses and found a way to shut them down. They've played defensive teams where you're going to have to find a way to score goals.
"It's weird how some of the years have gone, but the guys have found a way and we'll see what we can do in this one."