By: Marvin Azrak
Well, you know how it goes, “If you don’t succeed, try again.” The Colorado Avalanche had put forth valiant efforts with this group of core players since the 2017 season and, unfortunately, could never even make it to the conference final. But in these 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, they ran roughshod over their counterparts in the Western Conference, taking the top seed at 56-19-7 and going 12-2 in the tournament en route to their first Stanley Cup final since winning the title in 2001. The Avs swept aside the Nashville Predators, dispatched the ST Louis Blues in six, and routed the Edmonton Oilers for the conference title.
On Monday night, Artturi Lehkonen sent his team to the finals for the second straight year (He was with Canadians last year) with the overtime winner to polish off the Avs 6-5 overtime win in Edmonton to complete their second sweep of the playoffs and are soaring into the finals. Their reward?
The two time reigning Stanley cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning who while are no stranger to these big games, now have to deal with Cale Makar, arguably the best defenseman in the league. The 23-year-old defenseman has an astounding 22 points in 14 games these playoffs, including a five-point night in the conference-clinching game 4. He’s a Norris Trophy candidate for his 38 points in 74 games during the regular season and hasn’t looked back since the start of the playoffs.
As for the others, Colorado lost Samuel Girard due to injury due to a broken sternum he sustained in round two, but when one man goes down, then another one must step up, and it’s Bowen Byram who has come through. The 20-year-old sophomore has seven points in 14 games and has stayed healthy after experiencing multiple concussions over the past couple of seasons.
For Edmonton, it was an unfortunate end to a historic postseason for Conner McDavid (33 points in 16 games, shutout twice) and Leon Draisatel (32 points in 14 games, shutout twice) combined for 65 points(4 points a game), the most ever by a duo since 1980. But the Oilers were undone by the weak defense and poor goaltending by Mike Smith, whose gaffes throughout the series are what led to it being a sweep because this matchup felt closer than that, with the scores of 8-6, 4-0, 4-2, and 6-5.
But the Avalanche are the ones in the Stanley Cup finals. They will be battle-tested by the Bolts, who’ll enter as the favorite deplete being at a home ice disadvantage which they were in the Eastern Conference final, before rallying from an 0-2 deficit to vanquish the youthful and upstart Rangers in six games, who’s plethora of young talent well beyond their years should have them back at this stage soon.
Tampa has won 11 straight series and boast the best goalie in the world in Andrei Vasevelskiy.
The Avalanche will miss star Nazeem Kadri, who took a dirty check into the boards by Evander Kane of Edmonton, which required thumb surgery, prompting fans to say it was karma for him ramming into Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and knocking him out for the series in game three of the second round in St Louis. Kadri was making a case for the Conn Smythe trophy should the Avs win the cup, as he had 14 points in 13 games these playoffs.
Game one is Wednesday night in Denver at 8PMET.
