Avalanche Embarrass Lightning in Stanley Cup Final Game 2

The Colorado Avalanche made a statement in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Colorado came into the game with their sights set on taking a 2-0 series lead after a thrilling win in Game 1. However, the Avs surely didn’t anticipate posting the second-largest shutout victory in Stanley Cup Final history.

By defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0, though, that’s exactly what they did. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 8-0 win over the Minnesota North Stars in 1991 was a larger shutout win in the Final, which is a testament to just how incredible this Avalanche team is.

Forward Valeri Nichushkin got the party started in Denver before the Bolts could even get a shot on goal, and it didn’t take long for his teammates to follow suit. Josh Manson and Andre Burakovsky each scored a goal to give Colorado a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

The Avalanche dominated Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Nichushkin opened the scoring in period two with his second goal, and Darren Helm added on to make it 5-0 Avalanche at the second intermission.

Colorado’s five-goal advantage was impressive without context, but it was even more impressive when considering that Nathan MacKinnon and Colorado’s playoff points leader, Cale Makar, did not factor in on any of the five goals.

While that says a lot about how deep the entire Avalanche roster is, it also did not remain the case in period three. The Avs scored two third-period goals, both by Makar, with MacKinnon getting on the scoresheet with a power play helper.

When it was all said and done, Mikko Rantanen led the Western Conference champions with three points, and five other players contributed two points apiece. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 16 Lightning shots to earn the clean sheet.

I’m not going to immediately discount this Tampa Bay team that has not lost a playoff series since 2019 and overcame a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Final, but what the Avs did on Saturday should scare everyone.

No team in the NHL is more battle-tested than the Bolts, and the Avalanche made them look like playoff first-timers. The Avs are now 14-2 in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and have won seven straight games.

Game 3 will be in Tampa Bay, but Colorado has not yet lost a road contest in this postseason. Will the Bolts climb back into the series, or will the Avs take a commanding 3-0 lead?