Andre Burakovsky scored in 1:23 in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
After stopping a shot by JT Compher in front of the net, Valeri Nichuskin sent the puck to Burakovsky, whose shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy on the left.
Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen have other goals for the Avalanche, seeking their first championship since 2001.
Nick Paul, Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev are netted for Lightning, the two-time defending champion.
Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves, while Vasilevskiy faced 38 shots.
The second game is Saturday night, again in Colorado.
A Lightning fighter
Falling to 3-1 in the first intermission, the visitors put pressure and created a stalemate with two goals within 48 seconds into the middle of the middle period.
Palat completed a good rally with Kucherov and Sergachev threading the needle in a long shot through traffic. The opportunity came from a mess by Logan O’Connor of Avalanche.
Nichushkin hit the crossbar in the fourth minute of the game.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored the first goal of the game with 7:47 left in the first period after a shot by Mikko Rantanen was partially blocked by Vasilevskiy.
Just 1:36 later, Nichushkin doubled the lead with a wrist shot following a chance pass from Victor Hedman. The streak came from an aggressive forecheck of the Rockies club.
Paul cut the lead to 2-1 with 12:26 left in the first period. He converted what turned out to be a bumpy semi-breakaway, after Hedman’s long throw-in.
Another accomplice is Brayden Point, who has not played since May 14. He was injured in the last game of the first round, against Toronto.
Lehkonen scored on power play at 17:31 of the first period, assisted by Landeskog and Rantanen. The former Montreal Canadiens hit the mark with a wrist shot, while Tampa Bay tried to manage five against three.
Late in the second period, Compher was disappointed with the breakaway, after getting a brilliant pass from Burakovsky.
Pat Maroon gave the Lightning a cold sweat by sending the puck to the stand with 1:24 left in the third period, giving the home club superiority.
Forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano are out for the Avalanche. Coach Jared Bednar said their condition is checked daily.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
