(Bleacher Report)
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
How about that for a Game 1?
Andre Burakovsky gave the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night, scoring the game-winning goal one minute and 23 seconds into overtime to give the Avs a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
NHL @NHL
OT WINNER FROM ANDRE BURAKOVSKY!!! 🔥 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Bp3mQJyUyV
ESPN @espn
“This is a dream since I was a kid.”
—@andreburakovsky after scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1 of the #StanleyCup Final pic.twitter.com/m3KXYcKILu
Not surprisingly, his huge goal was the talk of Twitter after the game:
Grant Paulsen @granthpaulsen
Andre Burakovsky just scored an OT game-winner in the Stanley Cup. That’s my baby boy. pic.twitter.com/s3YI7F3ueV
Zach @_jewy_
The Tampa bay lightning when they see Andre Burakovsky pic.twitter.com/YCGObVe7sg
Burakovsky was given his flowers, and justifiably so, but this was a wild game that played out over three acts.
Act One: The Avs jumped to 2-0 and 3-1 leads behind goals from Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen.
NHL @NHL
LET THE SCORING BEGIN. #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ https://t.co/MaghIRjzUG
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/MOir2YeltA pic.twitter.com/scGluR3TUT
NHL @NHL
Valeri Nichushkin is up and running! #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ https://t.co/MaghIR1Yw6
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/MOir2YvWl8 pic.twitter.com/1pxnpnLenY
NHL @NHL
Artturi Lehkonen with the perfeeeeeect deflection! 👌 #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ https://t.co/MaghIRjzUG
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/MOir2YeltA pic.twitter.com/CuhZaL5AAT
Act Two: The Lightning, showing the poise of a two-time defending champion, pulled even behind goals from Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev within a minute of one another.
NHL @NHL
KUCH. 😳😲🤯 #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: ABC ➡️ https://t.co/MaghIR1Yw6
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/MOir2YvWl8 pic.twitter.com/lZIbzret95
Sportsnet @Sportsnet
Never count out the defending champs 😤
WE. ARE. TIED. #StanleyCup | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/cuHFpgsld0
Act Three: The two teams, after the explosive opening periods, played to a stalemate in the third period before Burakovsky called game in overtime.
We’ve got all the early makings of an epic series here, folks.
The Lightning will look to bounce back in Colorado during Saturday’s Game 2 at 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN).
This article was published at Bleacher Report. Read it in its entirety here. Read More