Everything you need to know ahead of the Lightning's Game 1 matchup against the Avalanche on Wednesday.
When: Wednesday, June 15 - 8 p.m. ET Where: Ball Arena - Denver, CO TV coverage: ABC (check local listings) Radio coverage: 970 WFLA-AM, Lightning Power Play Where to stream it: ESPN+
Projected Lineup (subject to change) Forwards Ondrej Palat - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Alex Killorn Ross Colton - Nick Paul - Corey Perry Pat Maroon - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Riley Nash
Defensemen Victor Hedman - Jan Rutta Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak Mikhail Sergachev - Zach Bogosian
Goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy Brian Elliott
Wednesday's Matchup The Lightning and Avalanche are playing Game 1 of their best-of-seven 2022 Stanley Cup Final...Tampa Bay and Colorado have never met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the two rank first and third, respectively, in regular-season wins over the past four seasons (TBL has 192, COL has 175)...The Avalanche/Nordiques hold an all-time series record of 13-9 when facing off against an opponent for the first time in a best-of-seven while the Lightning are 11-6 in the same scenario...This will mark the first time Tampa Bay faces the No. 1-ranked team from the opposing conference in a Stanley Cup Final...Tampa Bay went 0-1-1 against Colorado in the 2021-22 regular season, the Lightning falling 4-3 in a shootout Oct. 23 at AMALIE Arena and 3-2 at Ball Arena Feb. 10...Steven Stamkos is Tampa Bay's all-time scoring leader versus Colorado with 8-7--15 pts. in 19 reg. season contests...The Lightning are 15-20 all-time in Game 1s, including a 7-8 mark in road Game 1s... The Bolts are 1-3 in Stanley Cup Final Game 1s.
Wednesday's Storylines The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning are the first team to play in three-straight Stanley Cup Finals since the Edmonton Oilers went to three in a row from 1983-85...The Lightning are attempting to become the first team to win three-consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83 and the fourth franchise all-time in the NHL to do so, joining NYI, MTL and TOR...The Bolts are in the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth time in Jon Cooper's nine full seasons as head coach and the fifth time total in franchise history (also: 2004, 2015, 2020 and 2021)...Tampa Bay's five Stanley Cup Final appearances are by far the most among clubs to join the NHL since the 1990s; only three non-Original Six franchises have more appearances in the championship series: the Flyers (8x), Oilers (7x) and Penguins (6x)...The Lightning have won 11- consecutive playoff series dating back to the 2020 First Round and are the third franchise to win 11 or more playoff series in a row, joining the NY Islanders (19 from 1980-84) and Montreal Canadiens (13 from 1976-80).
Injuries 2021-22 Reg. Season Man Games Lost: 185 2022 Playoff Man Games Lost: 10 Current injuries Brayden Point (Lower-body injury May 14) 10 Games
Tampa Bay Sports Item of the Game Stanley Cup Final Locker Room Hoodie & Tech Tee Gear up for the Stanley Cup Final like a Lightning player with the official Locker Room Hoodie and Tech Tee. Available in store and online at TampaBaySports.com while supplies last.
The Road Ahead Game 2: Lightning at Avalanche, Saturday, June 18 Game 3: Lightning vs. Avalanche, Monday, June 20 Game 4: Lightning vs. Avalanche, Wednesday, June 22 Game 5: Lightning at Avalanche, Friday, June 24 (if necessary) Game 6: Lightning vs. Avalanche, Sunday, June 26 (if necessary) Game 7: Lightning at Avalanche, Tuesday, June 28 (if necessary)
tampabaylightning.com is the official Web site of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay Lightning and tampabaylightning.com are trademarks of Lightning Hockey L.P. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2020 Lightning Hockey, L.P. and the National Hockey League. Lightning Hockey, L.P. is a division of Vinik Sports Group. All Rights Reserved.