Burakovsky among top performers for Avalanche in Cup Final Game 1

DENVER -- Who played well in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it's easy to tell, sometimes it isn't. NHL.com graded the players in the 4-3 overtime victory by the Colorado Avalanche against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena on Wednesday. The Avalanche lead the best-of-7 series 1-0 with Game 2 on Saturday. Here are the players and trends that stood out the most.

Honor roll

Andre Burakovsky (Avalanche) -- Burakovsky scored his second goal of the playoffs at 1:23 of overtime to decide Game 1. The 27-year-old forward is no stranger to postseason success, having scored 19 playoff goals, including 10 for the Avalanche in four postseasons. Burakovsky has played in the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the first four (2015-19) for the Washington Capitals.
Valeri Nichushkin (Avalanche) -- Vision was the key to Nichushkin's primary assist on Burakovsky's game-winning goal. He collected the puck after Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman blocked a shot by Colorado's J.T. Compher off the rush and sent it from the top of the left circle to the right circle to Burakovsky, who one-timed it into the open side past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Nichushkin also scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, giving the Avalanche a 2-0 lead at 9:23 of the first period.
Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) -- Tampa Bay was outplayed for much of the early part of the game, but it was Kucherov and his elite skill that provided the spark to get them back on even terms in the second period. His team down 3-1, Kucherov dangled past Colorado defenseman Devon Toews and his shot-pass near the crease was tipped in by linemate Ondrej Palat at 12:51. Mikhail Sergachev scored 48 second later to tie the game 3-3.
Ryan McDonagh (Lightning) -- It may have gone unnoticed, but it was McDonagh who made a critical play to send Kucherov on his way for the important second-period rush that sparked the Lightning. McDonagh blocked a Nichushkin shot on a Grade A scoring chance for the Avalanche, collected the puck in the left corner and whipped it quickly up to a breaking Kucherov to get the attack underway for Palat's goal. McDonagh played 23:25, second on the Lightning to Hedman's 24:24, and had four blocked shots and four hits.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning) -- Vasilevskiy came into the game with a 2.27 goals-against average and .928 save percentage from the first three rounds of the playoffs but allowed three goals on the first 15 shots he faced. It was the first time in his career he allowed three first-period goals in a postseason game, but he then slammed the door with 22 saves in a row through the second and third periods, giving Tampa Bay the opportunity to tie the game and get it to overtime. Vasilevskiy ended the game with 34 saves.
RELATED: [Stanley Cup Final coverage | Stanley Cup Final schedule]

Stock watch

Avalanche special teams (up) -- Colorado's special teams were the clear winner of Game 1, going 1-for-3 on the power play and denying all three of Tampa Bay's power plays. The Avalanche power-play goal by Artturi Lehkonen on a first-period 5-on-3 was a result of relentless pressure to the net with no delays or hesitation, leaving the Lightning defenders drained. And the Colorado penalty kill simply refused to be broken through the seams, forcing Tampa Bay to take outside shots or make unwanted plays.
Lightning power play (down) -- There was very little at all to be excited about through the three power plays in Game 1, generating three shots on goal in six minutes of advantage. The Lightning have been blanked on the power play in four straight games, including the final three games of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers. They are now 0-for-9 in that skid.
Mikhail Sergachev (up) -- Sergachev tied the game 3-3 with a shot from the point at 13:39 of the second period, going off the short-side post and in for his second goal in the past three games. Sergachev had no goals in the first 15 games of the postseason but now that things are finding their way to, and into the net, his confidence is soaring.
Brayden Point (up) -- Playing his first game since May 14 due to a lower-body injury, the Lightning forward looked ready for the action after missing a month. Point assisted on Nicholas Paul's first-period goal, played 23 shifts for 17:59 and was involved in the physical areas of what was a heavy game. He's likely to be even better in Game 2.
Colorado ice time balance (down) -- The Avalanche's fourth line didn't see much duty in Game 1, with Nico Sturm at 7:30, Alex Newhook at 6:37 and Nicolas Aube-Kubel at 6:07. Colorado can certainly rely on its top six forwards for big minutes, but over a long series, getting useful minutes from the fourth line could be a factor. Tampa Bay didn't have any player lower than the 10:09 by Pat Maroon in Game 1.

What we learned

Avalanche speed is relentless
Colorado will attack from anywhere on the ice and rarely brings the puck up ice methodically. Once there's any change of possession, feet are moving, passes are flying and it's a pressure and a push that put the Lightning back on their heels in Game 1. It was exactly those circumstances that led to the winning attack, when Compher picked off the zone clear by Sergachev near the red line, turning it quickly back the other way and leading to Burakovsky's winner.
Lightning didn't panic in Game 1
It was their first hands-on experience with the speedy Avalanche in the postseason and even though they were under a lot of pressure in the first half of the game, the Lightning kept their focus. It's the mark of an experienced team that wasn't all that happy about chasing Game 1 for so long. Eventually they lost the series opener in overtime and have lost the opener for the third time in four series this postseason, but that they're in the Final yet again tells you they know how to figure it out.