First period of the Stanley Cup Final lives up to all the hype
Leading up to the Stanley Cup Final, we knew it was going to be a good one between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche.
It's only the first period, and neither team has disappointed so far.
The Avalanche came out with the first five of six shots, but the Lightning got the best opportunity with a powerplay at 5:07 of the first frame. Colorado had a massive kill, giving the team even more momentum.
Just 40 seconds after Josh Manson's holding penalty ended, captain Gabriel Landeskog got his team on the board with the first of the series.
Under two minutes later, at 9:27, Valeri Nichushkin kept the good times going with a wobbler from the slot that found its way through Andrei Vasilevskiy's five-hole.
Nick Paul got the Lightning within one at 12:26 on a nifty but almost fumbled breakaway goal:
Artturi Lehkonen regained the two-goal lead (3-1) for the Avalanche on a five-on-three goal at 17:31 of the period.
Colorado outshot Tampa Bay 15-8 and controlled most of the play in the period, but you can never count out the back-to-back champions.
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