NHL twitter reacts as Tampa Bay Lightning win against the Colorado Avalanche in a 2022 Stanley Cup Finals rematch
The Tampa Bay Lightning stood victorious in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the Colorado Avalanche. The win solidified the Lightning's second spot in the Atlantic Division, ahead the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There was a lot of excitement heading into the game as it was a replay of last year's finals and it was just as nail biting as it was last year. The game was decided by a shootout that saw the Bolts scrape a win.
NHL fans reacted to the Bolts win on twitter:
"BOLTS WIN!!!! #BOLTSWIN!!!!! SWEEP THE SEASON SERIES AGAINST THE AV’S!!! WE GET REVENGE AGAIN AGAINST THE DEFENDING CHAMPS GOR BEATING US IN THE FINALS!!! #GoBolts " tweeted whit_526
50 seconds into the game, Arturi Lehkonen scored the first goal for the Colorado Avalanche.
Nathan McKinnon doubled the lead for the Avalanche in the sixth minute of the second period when he tipped in a perfect pass from Bowen Byram, right in front of the net.
Nikita Kucherov brought one back for the Bolts after he was left unattended in front of goal and tipped in Brayden Point's pass for his 21st goal of the season.
Just 26 seconds into the third period, Anthony Cirelli scored from a Steven Stamkos pass to equalize the score at 2-2.
Denis Malgin scored at 2:03 when he intercepted a pass and skated his way through to his first goal for the Colorado Avalanche to give them a 3-2 lead.
Vladislav Namestnikov equalized for the Bolts again when he backhanded a shot into the back of the net just before falling to the ice.
Neither team could score in OT and the game headed to a shootout.
Captain Steven Stamkos stepped up first and gave the Bolts a 1-0 lead. Goalies on either end did not give in after the first goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy won the game for the Lightning after saving Mikko Rantanen's shot.
Tampa Bay Lightning's 2022-23 season so far
The Bolts have a 35-16-2 record after today's game against the Avalanche, which further secures their No. 2 spot behind the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference.
Nikita Kucherov is the points leader for the Bolts with 77 points in 52 games, from 20 goals and 57 assists.