Tampa Bay Lightning Dominate in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
Killorn's Far Shot Gives Bolts Early Lead
Cooper Calls for Team to "Turn the Page" to Game 2
The Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off the 2023 Stanley Cup Final with a decisive 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. The Bolts got off to a strong start when Alex Killorn scored the game's first goal on a far shot from the left circle just 3:09 into the opening period.
Tampa Bay continued to control the pace of play throughout the first period, outshooting Colorado 17-4. The Lightning extended their lead to 2-0 at the 15:36 mark when Nikita Kucherov found Brayden Point in front of the net for an easy tap-in goal.
The Avalanche struggled to generate any sustained pressure in the second period, and the Lightning took advantage by scoring another goal just 4:09 into the frame. Steven Stamkos one-timed a pass from Kucherov past Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper to give Tampa Bay a commanding 3-0 lead.
Colorado finally got on the board at the 16:14 mark of the second period when Valeri Nichushkin scored on a rebound off a shot by Cale Makar. However, the Lightning answered back just over a minute later when Patrick Maroon scored on a backhand shot to restore Tampa Bay's three-goal lead.
The third period was a relatively quiet affair, with neither team able to score. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves in the win, while Kuemper stopped 27 shots for the Avalanche.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was pleased with his team's performance in Game 1, but he knows there's still plenty of work to be done.
"We played a solid game tonight, but we can't let up now," Cooper said. "We need to turn the page and get ready for Game 2."
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final will be played on Monday night in Tampa Bay. The Lightning will look to take a 2-0 series lead, while the Avalanche will be desperate to even the series before heading back to Colorado for Games 3 and 4.
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