The winner of the first match of the Stanley Cup final between Colorado and Tampa Bay was determined only by the results of overtime: at first it seemed that the hosts grabbed the virtual trophy with a stranglehold, but the champions from Florida made it clear that they would not give up the Cup without a fight. Russians from both clubs were in the lead this evening. The battle for victory promises to be hot!

Despite taking a nine-day rest before the final, Colorado didn’t need a single extra minute to find their game: the Avalanches started the game with sharp attacks, turning over the lightning in the first three minutes with a score of 3-0 and almost opening the scoring in match – Andrey Vasilevsky’s goal post helped.

But the first puck still ended up in the hosts’ account: in the eighth minute, Mikko Rantanen loaded from the left faceoff circle, the puck squeezed between the body and left hand of the Russian goalkeeper of Tampa and slowly crawled to the goal ribbon. There it was already corrected by Gabriel Landeskog, who chalked up the first goal.

But Colorado was not going to stop there, and after a minute and a half, Valery Nichushkin opened the score with his goals in the Stanley Cup final. The Avalanche number 13 received a pass from Nathan McKinnon, who took advantage of Victor Hedman’s inaccurate discount on Nick Paul to pick up the puck and supply it to a teammate.

Photo: © REUTERS / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

0:2 by the 12th minute is not the score that could please Tampa. Therefore, the two-time NHL champions were quick to respond, and Paul corrected his mistake. He unexpectedly jumped out behind defender Eric Johnson a few meters from someone else’s goal, took the puck away and at the last second before colliding with the goalkeeper pushed it into the net.

When Tampa seemed to be close to rebounding, first Mikhail Sergachev and then Anthony Cirelli grabbed one penalty after another, leaving the team in three against the Colorado five. Such moments of the “avalanche” are not missed: the starting twenty-minute period ended with a score of 3:1 in favor of the hosts.

But the Lightning were not going to retreat. Having warmed up in the first period, and having adapted a little to the opponent’s game, they started the second period much more actively, shaking the Darcy Kemper’s goal post at the very beginning. The game continued on a collision course at the same high pace, but the next puck had to wait a long 13 minutes. Finally, Nikita Kucherov flashed, who was not particularly noticeable in the first period: with one movement he left the defender Devon Toyvz in the cold, and then with a filigree pass he found Ondrey Palat at the gate, and he did not miss. And even the main star of Colorado, defender Cale Makar, did not have time to do anything in this episode. “This is real hockey porn,” fans later admired on social networks.

Nikita Kucherov / Photo: © Frank Gunn / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

The Russian inspired the team, and it literally flew forward: after 48 seconds, the lantern outside the “avalanche” gate was lit by Sergachev, who threw it powerfully from afar. “Colorado” was not going to endure such a slap in the face, having dug in at the opponent’s goal in the last minutes. But Vasilevsky, it seems, like all the “lightning”, also adapted to the game of “avalanches” and stood like a wall, beating off what the defenders did not have time to block.

The third period practically did not differ from the second – Colorado played sharper, but Tampa skillfully defended and did not concede in attack. The removal of Florida striker Pat Maroon in the last two minutes could have been decisive, but the hosts failed to realize it. However, in order to secure the first victory, Colorado did not need a majority: forward Andre Burakovsky spent less than a minute on the decisive goal in overtime (4: 3), putting his team ahead in the series – 1-0.

The next match, which will again take place in Denver, will be held on Sunday night.

NHL. Playoffs. The final

Colorado Avalanche (Denver) – Tampa Bay Lightning (Tampa) – 4:3 OT (3:1, 0:2, 0:0, 1:0)

Goals: Landeskog, 7:47. Nichushkin, 9:23. Lehkonen, 17:31 (bol.). Burakovski, 61:23. — Paul, 12:26. Chambers, 32:51. Sergachev, 33:39.

Score in the series – 1:0