Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Can The Lightning Stop the High Powered Avalanche in Route to Threepeat?

June is here, and for hockey fans that only means one thing: the Stanley Cup Finals. 32 teams competed all season long for a chance to compete for the cup once playoffs rolled around, but now only two remain. Virtually nobody is surprised that it has come down to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche, arguably the two best teams in the league since the season began, and now its time to watch them square off and see who gets the honor of taking home the Stanley Cup. Lets take a closer look at the star-studded matchup hockey fans are frothing at the mouth for and see who has the best chance to bring the Stanley Cup home this summer. 

For the past few seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been a force to be reckoned with. The Lightning have won the Stanley Cup the past two seasons and have done so in dominant fashion, and are now looking to make it a threepeat. The Avalanche are likely the only team that could potentially stand in their way however, posting 119 points as a team this season while being led by an incredibly talented young core. The Avalanche’s top five forwards are all producing at a high level this postseason, averaging at least one point per playoff game they have appeared in, and their high powered offense could prove to be a significant challenge for the Lightning when the Stanley Cup Finals commence on Wednesday. Can Steven Stamkos and company hold off the Avalanche, or will Cale Makar and Nathan Mackinnon exhibit their incredible skill sets as they have been all season long and thwart the Lightning’s efforts to bring home another Stanley Cup? Fans will just have to find out for themselves this week once the finals kick off. 

As most hockey fans would probably agree, no two teams deserve to be in the Stanley Cup more than the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche. Subsequently, said fans are in for a treat to say the least watching these two teams face off at the highest level possible. It should certainly be a Stanley Cup Finals to remember, and fans can tune in on Wednesday night for Game 1.