Stanley Cup Final Game 6 live blog: Avalanche vs. Lightning

The Stanley Cup Final is over, and the Colorado Avalanche are the champions for the first time since 2001. They won Game 6 2-1 at Amalie Arena in Tampa to win the series and end the Lightning's dream of winning three straight titles.
NHL.com senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke was in Amalie Arena for all the sights, sounds and action.

11:20 p.m. ET

Here is the order of the Stanley Cup handoff on the ice. Gabriel Landeskog handed it to Erik Johnson. Johnson then handed the Cup to forward Andrew Cogliano, who the Avalanche acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on March 21. It's the first Cup win for Cogliano, who has played in 1,140 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Sharks and Avalanche.
Cogliano handed the Cup to Nathan MacKinnon, the No. 1 pick by the Avalanche in 2013. MacKinnon was followed by Jack Johnson, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Darcy Kuemper, Mikko Rantanen, Darren Helm, Devon Toews, Valeri Nichushkin, Pavel Francouz, Cale Makar, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and then J.T. Compher, Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen, Nico Sturm, Samuel Girard, who was injured in the Western Conference Second Round against the St. Louis Blues, Logan O'Connor, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ryan Murray, Kurtis MacDermid, Bowen Byram, Alex Newhook, Jacob MacDonald, Jayson Megna, Justus Annunen and coach Jared Bednar.
Thanks for reading. Until next time.
11:05 p.m. ET
The Cup is on the ice, brought out by Phil Pritchard and Mike Bolt from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has just handed the Cup to Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who took his lap with it and handed it first to Erik Johnson, who has been on the Avalanche since 2010.
The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to Avalanche defensman Cale Makar. It was just five days ago he took home the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL. In a few minutes, he will hoist the Stanley Cup.
10:55 p.m. ET
The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup Champions!
The visitors nursed home a 2-1 victory at Amalie Arena in an unforgettable end to an incredible series.
The Avalanche partied in the back of their net as Lightning fans trudged out and Lightning players waited patiently at center ice for the handshake.
The most poignant of the early celebrations were Nathan MacKinnon and Erik Johnson, two of the longest-serving members of the Avalanche, bearhugging while lying on the ice just inside the Colorado blue line while the rest of the team partied behind them.
It took all the Avalanche had, but they finally slayed the dragon who had ruled the NHL for the past three postseasons, ending Tampa's series win streak at 11, two victories short of a three-peat.
The third period was a study in domination as Colorado played its game to perfection, allowing four shots in the period.
Stay tuned for the postgame celebration.
10:50 p.m. ET
It's all over. In an amazing defensive performance, the Avalanche won 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup. Just an incredible game and an incredible finish to what was an amazing postseason and 2021-22 season.
10:44 p.m. ET
Colorado is five minutes from winning its first Stanley Cup title since 2001 when it defeated the New Jersey Devils in seven games.
The Avalanche have played a near-perfect period to date, bottling up the Lightning offense and allowing just one shot this period.
Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper made a huge save on Nikita Kucherov with Tampa Bay's second shot.
With 7:13 left in the game, a huge ''Let's Go Avs!'' chant broke out, droning out a Tampa Bay crowd that is losing its steams as the end of a dynastic run of 11 straight series wins stares it in the face.
The crowd revived itself with its own chant with 5:40 remaining.
These next five minutes could very well be the longest for the players on each team considering what is at stake.
10:33 p.m. ET
The Avalanche admitted they played with nerves in Game 5, fumbling away their first chance in the series to win the Stanley Cup.
That has not been the case in Game 6, with the Avalanche playing their relentless, high-speed, heavy, cycle game for the final two periods of this game, slowly wearing out the Lightning with what amounts to a series of body blows.
We are halfway through the final period, and Tampa Bay does not have a shot on goal since the second intermission. The Lightning can't exploit any perceived weaknesses of goalie Darcy Kuemper if they can't get the puck through to him.
Yet, the fans remain desperate to pass on good vibes, doing a wild rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" during the most recent stoppage.
10:25 p.m. ET
Nobody inside Amalie Arena has given up on the Lightning yet.
This place is still rocking, the fans urging the Lightning to find a reserve of energy.
The fan base has seen too many heroics across the past 11 playoff series to abandon ship now.
It has to be concerning, though, that the Lightning did not have a shot in the first five minutes of the third period and have had precious little zone time.
But the Avalanche certainly understand that they will need their best across the next 15 minutes to have their date with the Stanley Cup, which will soon be in the building, if it is not already.
10:12 p.m. ET
Here we go. The third period is underway.
Colorado leads 2-1, and Tampa Bay has 20 minutes left to save its season. Can the Lightning do it?
We'll find out in what should be one of the most compelling periods of what has been a Final for the ages.
Stay tuned!
9:58 p.m. ET
Are there only 20 minutes of hockey left in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
If the Avalanche can hold on to their 2-1 lead at the end of the second period, the answer will be yes.
If the Lightning can rally in the third period, we could still have a Game 7 in Denver on Tuesday.
The Avalanche are coming on strong, outshooting the Lightning 13-9 in the second period. Shots are 21-19 overall for the Avalanche.
Colorado is 9-1 when leading after the second period in these playoffs. Tampa Bay has won two of seven games when it railed after two.
9:45 p.m. ET
The Avalanche have administered a knock-down punch with Artturi Lehkonen scoring to make it 2-1 at 12:28 of the second period, finishing off a 3-on-2 rush.
Can the Lightning get off the mat yet again?
They have been staggered in this series already and also in the first round and in the third round, but nobody has been able to count out the two-time champions yet.
But now they need a goal desperately against a team that has shown an ability to finish as the faster, stronger team in each of the first five games.
It's a fool's errand to count out any team that has won 11 straight series, so we'll see what happens and if there is another comeback in the offing.
9:37 p.m. ET
You want drama? You got drama!
The Avalanche lead 2-1 with 7:32 left in the second period on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen.
Steven Stamkos, who just tried to fight Bowen Byram behind the Avalanche net, has the goal for the Lightning. Nathan MacKinnon, who is absolutely flying out there, scored the first goal for Colorado.
Each team has had turns dominating the play, and each goalie has been good when needed.
This game is emblematic of the series for the most part: high-paced, nail-biting, highly entertaining hockey.
Buckle up for the second half of this game!

9:21 p.m. ET
The Avalanche have tied the game 1-1 thanks to a goal from Nathan MacKinnon, who was their best player in the first period.
MacKinnon took a pass from Bowen Byram and slammed it home from the left circle at 1:54. It was on Colorado's 11th shot.
The Avalanche fans in attendance got a pretty good "Let's Go Avs!" chant going in the wake of the goal.
There's some heavyweight power in Amalie Arena tonight.
Let me tell you something, brother, Hulk Hogan is in the house. He revved the crowd up further when he was shown during the first stoppage.
Former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, from Orlando, activated the Tesla coil to start the second period.

9:10 p.m. ET
The first intermission came at the perfect time for all involved.
The Avalanche needed to regroup a little. They were blitzed early and gave up the Steven Stamkos goal after not being able to handle the forecheck. They recovered in the second half of the period but were beginning to lose their grip on the game in the final few minutes.
The Lightning need to refill their adrenaline tank. Playing on emotion and with a nothing-to-lose attitude, they looked slightly spent as the buzzer sounded.
The fans? They need a break and maybe a cold beverage to soothe their sore throats.
The roof may yet come off this building. No offense to the fine fans at Ball Arena, who can and have gotten loud, but this is pure chaos right now.
Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin, who was questionable for Game 6, had no shots on goal and one shot attempt in 6:44 of ice time. Nathan MacKinnon has three of Colorado's eight shots on goal.
Tampa Bay has 10 shots, from nine players. Defenseman Victor Hedman had two shots.
8:55 p.m. ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning lead 1-0 after the first period of Game 6 with the early goal by Steven Stamkos standing up so far.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has made two stellar saves and finished with seven overall. There has to be some concern for the Avalanche that the Russian goalie is finding his late-series groove like he did in a seven-game series win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and a six-game victory against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper has nine saves and has been relatively sharp.
Potentially good news for the Lightning: Defenseman Jan Rutta returned after leaving briefly.
It's almost unfair that they play "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne during the air guitar segment at Amalie Arena. Nobody, and I repeat nobody, can come close to replicating how cool, how regal and how smooth Randy Rhoades played the guitar. Give the people a chance and pick a different song.
8:48 p.m. ET
The Avalanche have stabilized and have been bringing the play to the Lightning in the past five minutes. They have the past seven shots on goal with the media stoppage at 16:07 of the period.
But the DJ just played "TNT" by AC/DC, and that may well stop the push as the home crowd turns it up another notch. I can't even hear myself type over the din, and as anybody in the press box will tell you, that is really loud to drown out my clattering.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has made his mark on Game 6 with a crazy good save on a shot from Nazem Kadri in the 13th minute. The puck dribbled through two players onto the stick of Kadri, the overtime hero of Game 4, and he pushed it on net. Vasilevskiy scrambled over and somehow used his leg pad to push the shot wide.
Tampa Bay's defense may have taken another hit with Jan Rutta hobbling off the ice and to the dressing room. Several of the Lightning defensemen are already playing while banged up.
8:36 p.m. ET
The goal has given life to the Lightning and their fans.
Midway through the period, Tampa Bay leads 1-0 and has had seven of the past nine shots in the period. Colorado has three shots in 10 minutes, and the first came on the first shift of the game.
The Lightning have established an early forecheck, cycled the puck well, and have not allowed the Avalanche to build speed through the neutral zone to this point.
In one of the funnier crowd developments so far, the 30-something man sitting next to me calls the Avalanche cheaters each time they ice the puck. I don't think he knows it doesn't work that way.
8:30 p.m. ET
The Lightning have the start they want, captain Steven Stamkos scoring off a turnover at 3:48 to give the Lightning the lead.
Stamkos ended up alone in front after the puck kicked off the skate of an Avalanche player right onto the stick of Stamkos, who made no mistake with the finish, sliding the puck through the five-hole of goalie Darcy Kuemper.
It's the third straight game in which Tampa Bay has scored first.
Things did not start well for the Avalanche when defenseman Cale Makar took a neutral-zone interference penalty 23 seconds into the game. The Lightning did not have a shot on net during the power play, but Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano had a painful blocked shot from the point.

8:15 p.m. ET
Whoa, this place is ready for the final hockey game of the season at Amalie Arena. It is a madhouse.
The arena was packed by the time warmups ended. Thunder Alley outside was filling up when I arrived at close to 6 p.m.
This is the sixth Final game I have seen in the past two seasons here, and it's hard to imagine this is the last one, at least until possibly next season.
So many of the rituals here are morphing into traditions: the rhythmic clapping during the pregame hype video, more clapping during the "Thunder and Lightning" song by Vo Williams, the pregame speech by wrestler Titus O'Neil, the playing of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC (the best arena anthem band ever) -- and the chanting of the word "thunder" throughout -- and the top-notch anthem performance by Sonya Bryson-Kirksey.
It's all become familiar, and I will miss it terribly when we pack our computer bags early Monday morning and leave here to prepare for a flight to Game 7 in Denver on Tuesday or flights home Monday to say farewell to the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Let's drop the puck and get going!
8 p.m. ET
Forward Valeri Nichushkin is going to play for the Avalanche in Game 6. Forward Andre Burakovsky will not.
Nichushkin, who has six points (four goals, two assists) in the series, was questionable with an injury to his right foot. But he will play on the second line. He has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 19 games this postseason.
Burakovsky, who had a goal in each of the first two games of the series, will miss his fourth straight game.
Brayden Point, who has a lower-body injury, was ruled out earlier Sunday by Lightning coach Jon Cooper. There is hope he can play in a Game 7 if Tampa Bay wins Game 6, but that is considered a long shot.
For what it is worth, the Avalanche fans have traveled great to the three games in Tampa. I have seen hundreds of fans in Colorado jerseys at each game. Sure, some are likely transplants, but others have made the trip here for each game. The number seems higher for Game 6, likely because the Cup is on offer.
By the way, at every home game, the Lightning show a montage of the players walking into the rink set to music. The music is "I Look Good" by O.T. Genasis. See you can learn something new every day.
7 p.m. ET
The Stanley Cup will be here later Sunday, ready for the Colorado Avalanche, should they claim it with a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6.
But first they have to get past the two-time defending champion Lightning, who are 3-0 in elimination games in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and are hoping to become the seventh team in Final history to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 series.
The Edmonton Oilers, against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, are the most recent team to force a Game 7 after losing three of the first four games. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs won four consecutive games against the Detroit Red Wings after losing the first three.
Each team is dealing with injuries to important players. Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point has been ruled out for the fourth straight game because of a lower-body injury. Valeri Nichushkin, arguably the best forward for the Avalanche in the Final, is questionable. He barely participated in the morning skate. We'll have more on his status during warmups in 30 minutes or so.
Speaking of the Cup, I saw it Sunday afternoon at my hotel after the morning skates. We were each waiting for the elevator to go to our respective rooms. For me, it was for a pregame nap, but for the Cup it was likely for a thorough polishing. I hope there was a nap, though, at least for the handlers. They may have a longer night than me if Colorado wins.