Stanley Cup Final Game 1 live blog: Lightning vs. Avalanche

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is in the books, and the Colorado Avalanche took in 4-3 in overtime.
NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price was in Ball Arena in Denver to provide all the sights, sounds and action from Game 1. Here's a look back at memorable opener to the best-of-7 series.

11:09 p.m. ET
And there it is. The Avalanche win Game 1 1:23 seconds into overtime on a goal by Andre Burakovsky.
It was a one-timer from the circle that beat goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to send the Ball Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Remember, there are two off days until Game 2, which is Saturday, so it will be interesting what each team does, or doesn't do, as far as adjustments.
It would be a bonus if the Avalanche can get forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano back, but I'm sure we won't know that until warmups Saturday.
Game 1 was a classic, and this certainly has the makings of an epic Cup Final.
Thanks for reading, and we'll be back Saturday.

10:54 p.m. ET
And we are going to overtime, and the intermission would be a good time for everyone to catch their breath.
The end of regulation was nuts, with the Avalanche on the power play for the final 1:23 after Pat Maroon took a delay of game penalty for playing the puck over the glass.
So the Avalanche will begin the overtime with 36 seconds on the man-advantage.
They are outshooting the Lightning 37-22, but Andrei Vasilevskiy has been a wall since allowing three goals in the first period.
He got some help late in regulation when Victor Hedman deflected a shot from a charging Nathan MacKinnon.
If this game is any indication of how this series will go, hockey fans are in for a treat. Lightning and Avalanche fans are also in for plenty of agita.
10:44 p.m. ET
We are at the point where it certainly feels as if the next goal is going to win Game 1 of the Cup Final.
It's 3-3 with 4:09 to go in regulation.
Each team is pressing for the winning goal, but each team is also locking it down defensively.
I'm not sure how noted New York Rangers fan Michael J. Fox is going to feel about this, but the Avalanche just used video of the scene in "Back to the Future" where he cranks up the big electric guitar to pump up the crowd.
They don't need much help at this point. This game is going down the wire.
They are now actually chanting some nasty things about Tampa. I've been to Tampa, I don't think it's true.
10:35 p.m. ET
Well if you like hitting, you have to be enjoying this one.
Players from each team are playing a physical game -- you can sense just how important each team feels this game is, especially with it within their grasp.
They keep advertising some guy named Griz playing at the watch party on Saturday. I have to admit, I've never heard of him, but that doesn't mean he's not huge. I had never heard of Zed, and then I saw at the All-Star Game in Vegas how big he was.
The whole crowd just sung "All The Small Things" by Blink-182 after a hype-up video of Mark Hoppus appeared on the screen.
They are still singing the song, and the game has resumed.
Less than 10 minutes to go, and we are tied 3-3.
Nathan MacKinnon nearly gave the Avalanche the lead with 8:55 left, but Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped a point-blank shot and covered up the rebound.
10:26 p.m. ET
We have 14:12 to go in the third, and it's still tied 3-3, but the Lightning are going on a power play.
As the game winds down, the editors at NHL.com start thinking of pun headlines we can use on the homepage. In a game like this, you need to think fast and come up with something quickly because one late goal may decide it.
I heard Sportsnet gave our pun heads a shoutout tonight, which is nice. Brian Compton and David Satriano come up with most of them, but it's a group effort.
Dan Rosen, who spends his whole life watching hockey, said he forgot Denver has an NBA team until he saw Davon Reed and Monte Morris of the Nuggets featured on the big screen.
You have to excuse Dan; he's very busy.
10:15 p.m. ET
We have 20 minutes of regulation to go here, and you get the feeling this could be the biggest 20 minutes of the Avalanche's season to this point.
They led 3-1 late in the second period, but the game is now tied 3-3. If the Lightning find a way to win this one, you wonder if they don't look back.
How's this for a bad omen for the Avalanche? They just played "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who before they came out for the third period. That was the New York Rangers song before their games began and well, we all know how that worked out.
Buckle up, folks. Here we go.
10 p.m. ET
We have two periods in the books, and this is shaping up to be a classic.
The game is tied 3-3 heading to the third period, after the Lightning scored two goals in a 48-second span at 12:51 and 13:39 of the second.
The Avalanche have seemingly carried the play, outshooting the Lightning 26-17, but Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy seems to be back in a zone after looking shaky for parts of the second period.
Darcy Kuemper hasn't been nearly as tested and I'm sure he would like the third goal back.
The crowd is hanging on every shot, every pass. Tons of nervous energy in here.
The DJ just played a song by the All-American Rejects, which I only know because it was in the "Cars" video game my kids played when they were younger.
9:45 p.m. ET
Well, well. We now have a tie game, after the Lightning scored two goals in 48 seconds.
This place is stunned, and the score is 3-3.
The tying goal came from Mikhail Sergachev at 13:39 of the second right after Ondrej Palat scored on a lovely feed from Nikita Kucherov.
The Lightning are getting their legs back. Not good news for the Avalanche.
My favorite arena DJ must know that Shawn Roarke is here since he just played "Electric Worry" by Clutch, one of Shawn's favorite bands.

9:40 p.m. ET
The Avalanche are definitely carrying the play here. They looked dominant killing off a Lightning power play after they were called for too many men on the ice at 6:28 of the second.
They are getting some shots on Darcy Kuemper, but nothing too hard to handle. They only have 12 shots on goal with 11:03 left in the second period.
The Avalanche have 19 shots on Andrei Vasilevskiy, who does not look sharp at all.
The DJ on the other hand is very sharp, playing a third Van Halen song -- "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" -- during a stoppage before the Lightning power play.
That's three Van Halen songs -- all from the David Lee Roth era -- in less than two periods.
He followed that up with "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin.
Of course, he's playing some modern songs, like "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy, and some other ones I don't recognize and can't get to Shazam fast enough to figure it out.
Big moment here in the press box when NHL.com senior Dan Rosen was able to figure out the cap game on the big screen. He's very proud of himself.
9:28 p.m. ET
Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is under siege here with the Avalanche firing away. They have 17 shots on goal through the first 25 minutes of play and lead 3-1.
Even though the Avalanche lead 3-1, I sense some trepidation in the crowd. I think everyone knows how dangerous the Lightning are and how they are seemingly never out of a game.
The Van Halen streak is over with the DJ playing Green Day's "Welcome to Paradise" during the first break in the second period.
As Doc Emrick would say, this game is starting to develop a snarl, first with Jack Johnson of the Avalanche delivering a solid hit on Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, and then Pat Maroon of the Lightning and Johnson each getting a roughing minor 3:41 into the second.
9:20 p.m. ET
The second period has begun, and the Avalanche are ahead 3-1.
Walking around the concourse during the first intermission, I saw a host of great jerseys, including a Teemu Selanne Avalanche jersey, an old-school Vincent Lecavalier Lightning jersey and a Reg Dunlop Charlestown Chiefs jersey from "Slap Shot."
I will stand by my belief that the Avalanche reverse retro jerseys from last season -- the ones that pay homage to the Quebec Nordiques -- were the best of the reverse retro bunch.
Just an FYI, when the first period ended, the Ball Arena DJ played "Jump" by Van Halen. With "Panama" being played during a stop in the first period, that's two hits from the 1984 album already. If we hear "Hot for Teacher" or "I'll Wait" tonight, well, …
Speaking of music, I'm very disappointed in my colleague Shawn Roarke, who somehow missed that two death metal bands -- After the Burial and Thy Art is Murder -- were playing in a venue a few minutes from our hotel Tuesday night, and then, when told about it, decided to stay in.
He's pacing himself, I guess, but it's rare for him to miss a death metal show.
One note from the first period -- it was the first time Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed at least three goals in the first period of a playoff game in his NHL career.
9 p.m. ET
The Avalanche lead 3-1 after a wild first period. The third goal came from Artturi Lehkonen at 17:31 during a two-man advantage.
The Avalanche went on the original power play when Nathan MacKinnon bull-rushed his way up the ice and was tripped by Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev at 15:43 of the first. It became a two-man advantage when Anthony Cirelli went off for tripping Cale Makar at 16:20.
As I mentioned earlier, we are sitting in the auxiliary press box, which is section 322 at Ball Arena. The guys next to me in section 320 are certainly enjoying themselves but went from joyous to a tad nervous after the Nicholas Paul's goal for the Lightning made it a 2-1 game.
I do think they need to brush up on the rulebook as they just ripped one of the refs for not calling a two-line pass. Hmm.
This is the first Cup Final game I have been too since Game 7 in Boston in 2019, so it's great to be here and have a full house. There is also a huge gathering outside Ball Arena. And I have to say they are hardy souls, because it's quite hot in Denver this week, with temperatures in the 90s.
As Bill Paxton said in "Aliens," "but it's a dry heat."
8:50 p.m.
The Lightning are on the board after
NHL.com blogger
Nicholas Paul scored with 7:34 to go in the first.
Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper was in no-man's land as the puck came toward him and instead of attacking the puck, he backed up, and Paul was able to flip it past him.
It's a big turn of events after the Avalanche nearly went up 3-0, but Andre Burakovsky's breakaway attempt was stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is getting peppered with shots, nine to be exact, in the first 12 minutes.
The crowd, which has been in party mode minutes earlier, is back on its heels a bit after the Paul goal.
8:35 p.m. ET
As if this place couldn't get any louder after the Avalanche killed a Josh Manson penalty, it did when Gabriel Landeskog scored the first goal of the Final with 12:13 left. He picked up a rebound off a shot by Mikko Rantanen.
Then it got even louder when Valeri Nichushkin scored from the slot at 10:37. The goal came after the Lightning turned the puck over in their own end.
The time and space the New York Rangers forwards could not seem to find in the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning has been there for the Avalanche, and they are making Tamap Bay pay.
The fans are chanting "hey, hey, hey" along with the goal song. It's nuts in here.

8:30 p.m. ET
Ok, we are in for a good final. The first song played by the Ball Arena DJ was "Panama" by Van Halen. If that is a sign of things to come on where the Ball Arena DJ lands in the David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar discussion, that's a great omen.
It came after Andrei Vasilevskiy made the first save of the Final off a shot from Mikko Rantanen with 18:19 left in the first.
A few seconds later, Darcy Kuemper, showing no signs of rust, made his first save on a long slap shot from Jan Rutta.
The Avalanche had the best chance to score the first goal, but Valeri Nichushkin hit the post with 16:17 to go. They came right back and nearly scored again on a shot by Darren Helm.
Colorado is outshooting Tampa Bay 4-1 with 14:53 to go in the first period, but now the Lightning are going on the power play with Josh Manson in the box for holding the stick.
8:18 p.m. ET
We have dropped the puck in front of what is a raucous crowd.
The Avalanche fans are loud -- REAL LOUD -- and the energy in Ball Arena is through the roof.
This, of course, is nothing new for the Lightning, who played the Final in Montreal last season and just got through an Eastern Conference Final with three games at Madison Square Garden.
Still, sitting up here in the upper level, the noise, the energy is nuts. These fans are hungry for the Cup. Of course, so are the Lightning.
8 p.m. ET
It's official: Darcy Kuemper will start in goal for the Avalanche, and forward Brayden Point is back for the Lightning.
Kuemper hasn't played since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final; Point has been out since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano are out for the Avalanche.
As you can guess, the crowd is getting more wound up as the time to puck drop winds down.
Two things to look for early in this one: How the Avalanche perform after being off for nine days, and how they handle the pressure of playing the Cup Final.
As for the first one, remember the Lightning lost Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers after being off for eight days, so we'll see how the Avalanche respond to the rest.
As for the second one, the Lightning, as we all know, have been here before, winning the Cup the past two seasons. The Avalanche, star-studded as they are, are in the Final for the first time since 2001.
Will any of that matter? Stay tuned.
7:40 p.m. ET
The teams are on the ice for warmups, and it appears Darcy Kuemper will be in goal for the Avalanche. He was in the starter's net during the morning skate Wednesday, but coach Jared Bednar would not say if it would be him or Pavel Francouz.
Kuemper hasn't played since he was injured in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers. That game was on May 31. The Avalanche haven't played since June 6, when they completed a four-game sweep.
It doesn't look like Avalanche forwards Nazem Kadri or Andrew Cogliano will play. Bednar kept their status close to the vest as well. Kadri was injured in Game 3 of the conference final and hasn't played since Jun. 4. Cogliano was injured in Game 4. Neither was in warmups.
As for the Lightning, it appears forward Brayden Point will be back. He hasn't played since sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was in warmups.
Ball Arena is starting fill up, and the excitement is building.
7 p.m. ET
As you can guess, this city is pumped up for Game 1 of the Final. It's the first Cup Final game played in Denver since 2001, and the fans are ready for it.
One local eatery really got into the spirit by using a Lightning jersey as its floor mat, encouraging guests to wipe their feet on the jersey as they enter and leave.
Also, there's a really cool scene in Larimer Square: Hanging among the trendy coffee shops and eateries are banners representing all the Avalanche players.
Speaking of food, the big talk among the media here in Denver has been the doughnuts in the media room on Tuesday. Will they return? Will anyone not gain 20 pounds during this Final?
One way to possibly keep the weight off is by walking, and there is plenty of it to do here. It's about a 15-minute walk from the media hotel to Ball Arena. NHL.com staff writer Tim Campbell has been a bit more adventurous, renting an electric scooter and taking it back and forth.
Nobody else on the .com staff has been brave enough to try -- yet.
We are about 40 minutes from warmups, where I'm sure some lineup questions will be answered.

6:30 p.m. ET
We are less than two hours from puck drop and the excitement is building here in Denver.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman just gave his State of the League address, announcing when the 2022-23 season will start and unveiling the logos for the 2023 Winter Classic, All-Star Game and Stadium Series.
Before we get to the action on the ice, here are
3 keys to Game 1
from staff writer Tom Gulitti.
The NHL.com staff writers and editors
made their predictions on the series
. Give them one more look before the puck drops.
There will be plenty of drama in the Final. Here are
seven storylines
from NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen.