It’s been nearly eight months since the Colorado Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen scored the goal that pulled the plug on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s chance to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions. Since then, the team and their fans have waited for the rematch. The teams play twice in February; the first is a home game on Thursday, Feb. 9 at Amalie Arena and then they play again the following week in Colorado on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Although this is a key matchup of the two conference champions from last season, their rosters look slightly different from the last time they played. But, no matter the hype, both teams need wins to keep up in their respective conferences. Let’s look at how they match up.
Alexandar Georgiev Traded to Avalanche
After goalie Darcy Kuemper helped the Avalanche win their first Stanley Cup since 2001, the free agent signed with the Washington Capitals. Colorado then traded for and signed Alexandar Georgiev, who played 33 games for the New York Rangers last season, to replace him. The 26-year-old Bulgarian signed a three-year contract worth $3.4 million per season. His career stats include a 2.94 goals-against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%).
So far this season, Georgiev has been solid in net with a 2.60 GAA and .919 SV%. However, in 34 games, his record is 20-11-3 and the Avalanche are relying on him to put up wins as their backup goalie Pavel Francouz is only 7-7-1.
Every Cup winner has the pressure to repeat as the Avalanche reappear as favorites to win the championship this season. However, they won the Cup with a different goalie—one they opted not to keep. So, it’s possible that if they don’t at least make a deep run in the postseason this year, Georgiev could end up taking the brunt of the criticism and blame. The Lightning’s outstanding goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, always gives his team a chance to win. The bigger the game, the better he seems to perform. He is 15-4-2 on home ice. Equally important is that Brian Elliott, his backup, holds a 9-3-1 record in relief.
Avalanche Dealing with Injuries
The Avalanche have been hit with significant injuries this season. Their captain Gabriel Landeskog has missed the entire season so far and is not expected back until March (from ‘Gabriel Landeskog has left Denver when the Avalanche needs him most,’ The Denver Post, 1/13/23). Nathan MacKinnon, who signed a massive eight-year contract extension, worth $12.6 million annually, has also missed eight games, as has center Evan Rodrigues.
Last season, MacKinnon and Landeskog were responsible for 147 points during the regular season. So far this season, MacKinnon has 55 points in 38 games playing on the top line with Mikko Rantanen, who has 61 points. It’s likely that these two All-Stars can equal last season’s production, especially with Cale Makar averaging a point per game. With fellow defenseman Bowen Byram being out of the lineup since November with an injury, the Avalanche are lucky that their dynamic defenseman has only missed four games so far this season.
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Besides the injuries, the Avalanche are missing Nazem Kadri. Last season, the centerman played the most minutes per game of his career and added 87 points in 71 games in his last season in Colorado. During the summer, he signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames and is leading the team in goals and has played every game this season so far.
Lightning Are Healthy
On the flip side, the Lightning have remained healthy so far this season. Zach Bogosian and Anthony Cirelli were the only players to miss significant time as they both recuperated from offseason surgeries.
In addition, the core of the Lightning’s offense is mostly intact, even though Ondrej Palat is now playing for the New Jersey Devils and Ryan McDonagh is in Nashville. They brought back Vladislav Namestnikov, who played five seasons in Tampa to start his career. Although he hasn’t been as impactful on the scoresheet, he has tallied 58 hits. Plus, he has unexcepted speed that he doesn’t always showcase.
The Lightning’s depth is one of the main reasons why they have represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final for three consecutive years. With the emergence of Brandon Hagel, who is fourth on the team in points with 41, and Nick Paul, who has 16 goals, their depth is solid.
Predictions for the Rematch
Last season’s Stanley Cup Final was a matchup that many fans had been waiting for years to witness – and it did not disappoint. It was a great series. The Lightning gave everything they had. These two teams are very similar on offense: great scoring and an impressive power play.
However, any time a team is compared to the Lightning, the Bolts always have the edge when it comes to goaltending. Even though Georgiev has played well in Colorado, the Lightning can dominate a team with either of their goaltenders.
Although the Avalanche swept the Lightning in their two regular season games last season, they are now facing the pressure to repeat as champions while addressing injuries that are hampering those chances. Tampa’s excellent record at home should secure at least one win in the much-anticipated rematch.
However, it’s all about the Stanley Cup Final and many are predicting that these two teams will face off again for a chance to win the Cup in 2023.