Colorado fans went crazy after their team defeated Edmonton in overtime, sending the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 21 years. Claire Hardwick, Storyful The Tampa Bay Lightning head to the Stanley Cup final for the third consecutive season and the reward starts again on the road against the top team in the regular season in the Western Conference. The way the two-time defending champions beat the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 will help them face Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Captain Steven Stamkos scored two goals, the second just 21 seconds after the Rangers equalized in the third period. “We do not care how it will be done, it just has to be done,” he told reporters after the game. “I am very proud of this group. We will go to the finals again and we have the opportunity to do something special.” Stamkos opened the scoring in Saturday’s goalkeeping battle when his wrist shot went wide of the partially controlled Igor Shesterkin at 10:43 in the second period. STANLEY CUP FINAL: Program, TV information for the round of the NHL Championship SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up to receive daily headlines in your inbox Stamkos was on penalties when Frank Vatrano of New York equalized the game in a power play at 13:07 in the third period. But Stamkos scored in the next change in a 2-on-1 break when the rebound of his shot went through his foot. “Obviously I’m a little disappointed with myself for taking the penalty,” he said. “You see them scoring and you’re in the box. It was weird. For some reason, I was not as upset as usual in these situations. I was just sure for our team that we would find a way. Whether it was in the regulation or in extra time. victory tonight “. Shesterkin complained, but the goal survived after control. “They are not the people,” Stamkos said. “It’s great to score two goals in a huge game like this, but if I didn’t score and we won, I would be just as happy … We know that everyone in our room plays a huge role in team success.” Sesterkin, a finalist for the Vezina and Hart trophies, made 28 saves as he fell behind in trying to improve to 6-0 in this season’s all-around singles. “I thought Igor was great,” said Rangers coach Gerard Gallant. “He gave us the opportunity to win every night and we were better in a lot of games, but he was great. He was our best player all year and he did it again in that series.” Andrei Vasilevsky made 20 saves and was helped by 17 blocks from the defenders. The fact that the Thunderbolts were able to keep the Rangers in one goal in each of the last three games bodes well as they prepare to face the high-flying Avalanche. “It is no secret that they have some electric players,” said Stamkos. “To be honest, it is probably a team we thought we would play for the last two years. . Now they are broken and just have an incredible mix of presence veterans, star power, mills, goalkeeper. A huge challenge for us. “ The Lightning are aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83. Although the Lightning did not have the home ice advantage in all the playoffs, they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, swept the No. 1 overall Florida Panthers and beat the Rangers in six. They gathered in the Eastern Conference final after losing the first two games, including 6-2 in the first game after a long break. “As the series progressed, we got better and better and I think tonight might have been our best game overall,” said forward Alex Kilorn.
Lightning Victor Hedman leaves the pitch at the end of the half
Victor Hedman retired from the game in the second period, when Alexis LaFrenier grabbed him by the head with a check. The defender, who is a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the fifth consecutive season, grabbed his head and broke his stick as he returned to the bench. Hedman rubbed his jaw as he sat on the bench and had to go to the dressing room, probably due to a concussion protocol. But he returned to action in the third period and played a regular shift.
Rangers Kaapo Kakko is a healthy scratch
Gallant had restricted the use of the Kid Line during the team’s 5 game defeat. In Game 6, he sat outside Kaapo Kakko and transferred the other two members of the Kid Line to other lines. Lafrenière started with Mika Zibanejad and Vatrano and Filip Chytil was in line with Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow, although the lines changed later. Kako, No. 2 in the general selection in 2019, has five points in 19 playoff games. Forward Brayden Hunt made his third appearance in his postseason and first from the first round. New York’s Ryan Strome, who was playing with an injury, left the warm-up for a while but dressed for the game. He did not play in the third period. Lightning center Braden Point, who was injured in the first round, sat down again, despite skating. “I do not know about the possibility of Game 1, but it is extremely likely that he will play in the series,” said coach Jon Cooper.
