STANLEY CUP FINALS
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Colorado Avalanche
Series Schedule on ABC:
Game 1 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO – Wednesday, June 15 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET
Game 2 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO – Saturday, June 18 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET
Game 3 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL – Monday, June 20 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET
Game 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL – Wednesday, June 22 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET
Game 5 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO – Friday, June 24 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET*
Game 6 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL – Sunday, June 26 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET*
Game 7 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO – Tuesday, June 28 at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET*
*if necessary
In the Conference Finals, the Colorado Avalanche swept the Edmonton Oilers proving their scoring depth was no match for Mike Smith and their defense contained the Conor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl line despite an 8-6 scoring extravaganza in game 1 of the series. Much to my dismay, the New York Rangers’ dream season was ended in game 6 by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lighting, even though most of the games in the series were tight, low-scoring goal-tending duels. Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to prove he is arguably the best goalie in the league. Now Vasilevskiy and his defensive wall led by Ryan McDonagh must defend against the incredible scoring depth of the Colorado Avalanche, who have many guys that can score from all parts of the rink, not just the top line of Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. Avalanche goalie, Darcy Kuemper is also expected back in net for the finals. This should be a fun series to watch for an offensive vs defensive battle. Home ice has played a factor in a few of these series so far and it could help give the Avalanche a slight advantage especially if it goes the distance. The Lightning have not lost at home since Game 3 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Avalanche only dropped games 2 and 5 at home against the St. Louis Blues in the second round. The Avalanche have also had a few extra days of rest coming off the sweep in the Conference finals, whereas the Lightning had to play six games. The Avalanche have looked like the team to beat all season, but the Lightning have also won the last two Stanley Cups with basically the same team they have now. Can the Lightning win an unprecedented third Cup in a row or can the Avalanche win it for the first time since 1996? I have to trust my gut and my brain on this one and both have said the Avs are winning it all since early on in the NHL season. Plus we need some change and I wouldn’t mind seeing the Lightning get that long-overdue big loss at home.
Prediction: Avalanche win in 6 games
Make sure to check out our new series, Playoff Beards where Adelia Chamberlain and myself break down each series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In our most recent episode, we gave our thoughts on the Conference Finals and previewed the Cup Finals. We will also be doing recap shows for each game in the Finals. Playoff Beards is available on the Let’s Get Ready Network podcast feed. Full video will also be available to Patrons, and you can become a Patron by clicking here.
