It took extra time, but the Colorado Avalanche have a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup final after an exciting first game final. Andre Burakovsky was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Avalanche and finished off a strong pass from the home side.
The Avs came out with their hair on fire in the first period as they jumped to a 3-1 and put the Bolts on their heels. Tampa Bay, one of the most prepared teams in the NHL, bounced back in the second period to tie the game, scoring two goals in just 48 seconds from Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev.
Colorado thoroughly dominated the third period, but Andrei Vasilevskiy helped Tampa Bay escape regulation and reach overtime. However, the Lightning could not survive the bombing of the Avs for much longer. After a brief tussle with the defender, Victor Hedman finally tucked the ball home. Valeri Nichuskin slipped and slithered in the wet grass. His usual rapid runs were nowhere to be seen today.
Tampa Bay will try to match the series in Game 2, which is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET Saturday night.