The Avalanche will have the opportunity on Friday in front of their home crowd in Denver to not only dethrone the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, but perhaps also start their own dynasty.
The Avalanche lead the ultimate series 3-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Colorado has not been champion since 2001.
It will be the most difficult victory to get, indicated Cale Makar. We should expect them to give their all. We just have to be ready.
Colorado is looking for a third title since the organization left Quebec, before the 1995-1996 season.
The Avalanche swept the Florida Panthers in the Finals in their first season in the Rockies. Five years later, the team triumphed after a seventh game at home against the New Jersey Devils.
The point guard at the time was Joe Sakic, now a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Now in the role of General Manager, his footprints are on this team which combines dynamism and speed.
Nazem Kadri, who scored in overtime Wednesday at Tampa, was acquired by Sakic in 2019 in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sakic built around playmakers such as Makar, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. Core brilliance is a big part of why the Avalanche are 15-3 this year in the playoffs.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper rebounded with 37 saves in Game 4 after being kicked out of Game 3. He also got an assist on the game-winning goal, tossing the puck to Artturi Lehkonen, who passed it to Kadri.
Kuemper became the first goaltender in history to collect an overtime assist in a Finals game. He was very alert on the streakLandeskog said.
The Lightning have been able to recover since the start of the playoffs. They faced 2-0 deficits in the Eastern Final against the New York Rangers and 3-2 against the Maple Leafs in the first round.
If there’s one thing I know about this group, it’s that we react well to adversity, said Victor Hedman. We are resilient. We believe in what we have.
Associated Press
Source: Radio-Canada
