The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avalanche beat the Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final behind a goal and an assist from Nathan MacKinnon.
Tampa Bay fell two victories short of becoming the NHL’s first three-peat champion since the early 1980s New York Islanders dynasty.
Colorado’s core led by MacKinnon, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and longest-tenured player Erik Johnson finally got the job done after years of playoff disappointments. It’s the franchise’s third championship and first since 2001.