Avalanche vs. Lightning: What to watch for in Game 2 of 2022 Stanley Cup Final

We needed overtime in Game 1 but what a series opener it was between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. Andre Burakovsky gave the home side a 4-3 win and a 1-0 series lead Wednesday night. Now we wait to see if Jon Cooper’s charges can rebound and even the series up before it heads to Tampa Bay for Game 3.

Brayden Point returned for the Lightning, Darcy Kuemper was in net for the Avalanche, but Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano remained out for Colorado. Will we see any changes for Game 2?

Let’s take a look at what to watch for ahead of Game 2 tonight from Ball Arena in Denver.

• Resilient Lightning: Following their Game 1 loss, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said “the right team won.” He was correct. Tampa Bay looked out of sync vs. Colorado, much like they did in Games 1 and 2 against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. But after facing a 2-0 series deficit and down 2-0 in Game 3, they managed to come back and win the series. That’s what champions can do.

“It’s not about winning Game 1,” said Cooper. “Yeah, would we like to win every single game? There’s no question. But we’ve also started out on the road for all four series. So the fact that we’ve won one of them is kind of a bonus on our side. But it’s about winning the series. Yeah, it sucks we lost Game 1, but let’s turn the page here and let’s see if we can get Game 2. It’s about the series.”

We know the stat: Tampa Bay has only lost consecutive playoff games once since they began their Stanley Cup run in 2020. They’re also 1-3 in Game 1s this postseason. Every time they’ve started series slow they’ve only gotten stronger. But this is an Avalanche team that is 13-2, and battling back here will not be easy.

• Cogliano possible, Kadri