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Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
After a two-day break, hockey is back, baby.
The Colorado Avalanche are hoping for a 2-0 lead in the series to Tampa, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are hoping to channel the “never lose twice” energy that has made them so dominant the past few seasons.
Here’s what to watch out for before Game 2, scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET at Denver’s Ball Arena:
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Darcy Kuemper needs to be more comfortable
Expectations for Darcy Kuemper’s return from a two-week injury layoff have been indulgent to a degree. He was chasing pucks a bit early and didn’t seem too comfortable.
And that almost backfired as Kuemper allowed three goals on 15 shots, including a comical one from Nick Paul in the first period. It wasn’t all his fault, but given how Colorado pressured the Bolts throughout the game, the win nearly slipped from his grasp.
To win this series, Kuemper will have to outplay one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Andrei Vasilevskiy. After a difficult first opening period for Vasilevskiy, he finally got back into the groove and played a good second half while keeping his team in a game where, statistically, they were struggling.
Luckily for Kuemper, the Avs got the win, so it’s a matter of moving on and refocusing. Kuemper can steal some games and the Lightning will be flying high on Saturday trying to steal a win before returning home.
Avalanche trainer Jared Bednar gave Kuemper a vote of confidence, and that’s all you can ask for.
Tampa knows how to recover
The bad news? They were heavily outplayed in Game 1. The good news? Still, there were some positive signs.
For starters, getting Brayden Point back into the lineup was a huge hit despite not being at full steam after a month of hockey. Add to that the fact that despite struggling on the power play and conceding three goals early, they forced overtime and began to find their legs in the second half.
You know the tale all too well by now: the Bolts know better than anyone how to recover from defeat. Heck, Tampa struggled to open the series in the playoffs, losing Game 1 to Toronto and New York, but there’s a reason they’ve won 11 straight playoff rounds. They ended up losing two straight games to Rangers for the first time since 2019, an insane feat in its own right.
For Tampa to come through, they’ll need to play better structural defense and slow down one of the fastest offenses in the league. It’s all about choking Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and company, and the Lightning do it best with their backs to the wall. It’s too early to tell, but you don’t want to go down 2-0 to a dangerous team like Colorado.