3 Keys: Lightning at Avalanche, Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

(3A) Lightning at (1C) Avalanche
Stanley Cup Final, Game 1
8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, CBC, SN, TVAS

The Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday.
The Avalanche are in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since they won their most recent championship in 2001. The Lightning are bidding to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83.
Tampa Bay became the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons since the Edmonton Oilers from 1983-85 by defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.
"Three in a row, who would've ever thought that?" Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "So certainly proud of the group, but we have a great opportunity right now and let's take advantage of it."
Colorado has been off since completing a four-game sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final on June 6. The Avalanche believe they also have a great opportunity after losing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past three seasons.
"I feel like we've been preparing our team for this moment since Day One of training camp plus the experiences we've gained over the last few years, and I feel like our team is on an even keel right now," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. " …I don't think that we're going to shy away from the moment. I think our focus is good. [The Lightning] may have more experience, but we're here to try and prove that we're the best team in the League."
Teams that win Game 1 hold an all-time series record of 62-20 (75.6 percent) in a best-of-7 NHL Stanley Cup Final, including 49-10 (83.1 percent) when starting at home and 13-10 (56.5 percent) when starting on the road.
Here are 3 keys to Game 1:

1. Point's return

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Brayden Point "looks like he's a go" to play in Game 1. It would be the forward's first game since he sustained a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 14.
Although Tampa Bay went 8-2 in the 10 games Point missed, his return potentially will be a big boost. Point led the NHL with 14 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past two postseasons. He has four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games this postseason, including the overtime goal in a 4-3 victory in Game 6 against the Maple Leafs.
"Obviously it's one of our top players, so whenever you have a guy like him go down, you don't really want that," Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. "That being said, him being back, you know what he brings to the team with his speed and his creativity and his consistency. So mostly you're excited for him to be back."

2. Kuemper or Francouz?

Bednar wouldn't name the Avalanche's starting goalie, but Darcy Kuemper was in the starter's net for the morning skate and it appears he will play for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury in the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.
Pavel Francouz came on in relief and started the final three games against the Oilers, with Kuemper backing up in Game 4.
Kuemper has started 10 games in the playoffs, going 6-2 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. Francouz has played six games (four starts), winning each, with a 2.86 GAA and .906 save percentage.
Either will face a challenge trying to match Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is 12-5 with a 2.27 GAA, .928 save percentage and one shutout in 17 games, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs last season.
"We have full confidence," Avalanche forward J.T. Compher said. "Both guys have shown throughout the season that they can be successful. Both guys have been doing the work. Obviously 'Kuemps' was out, but he's working hard to be ready to go and 'Frankie' has been the same thing during this break, just getting ready."

3. Avalanche's offense vs. Lightning's defense

Colorado leads the playoffs in scoring with 4.64 goals per game after ranking fourth during the regular season (3.76). Tampa Bay is second in the playoffs allowing 2.41 goals per game.
The Lightning defeated the Maple Leafs, who were second in the NHL in the regular season (3.80 goals per game), in the first round and the Florida Panthers, who led the League (4.11), in the second round. Tampa Bay held Florida to three goals in a four-game sweep and limited the Rangers to one 5-on-5 goal while winning the final four games of the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers scored nine goals in the first two games before scoring a total of five goals in the final four.
But without last change on the road, it will be more difficult for the Lightning to get their checking line and center Anthony Cirelli matched against the Avalanche's top line and center Nathan MacKinnon.
"I'm comfortable with Nate going against their top guys. I'm comfortable with him going against the checking line," Bednar said. "It just depends on how the rest of their lines shape up and we'll take sort of a whole team approach to that."

Lightning projected lineup

Ondrej Palat -- Steven Stamkos -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Alex Killorn
Ross Colton -- Brayden Point -- Nick Paul
Patrick Maroon -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Corey Perry
Victor Hedman -- Jan Rutta
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev -- Zach Bogosian
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Scratched:Cal Foote, Fredrik Claesson, Riley Nash
Injured:None

Avalanche projected lineup

Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Valeri Nichushkin
Andre Burakovsky -- Mikko Rantanen -- Artturi Lehkonen
Alex Newhook -- J.T. Compher -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Nico Sturm -- Darren Helm -- Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Jack Johnson -- Josh Manson
Bowen Byram -- Erik Johnson
Darcy Kuemper
Pavel Francouz
Scratched:Justus Annunen, Ryan Murray, Kurtis MacDermid, Jacob MacDonald, Jayson Megna
Injured:Samuel Girard (sternum), Nazem Kadri (hand), Andrew Cogliano (hand)

Status report

With Point returning, Nash will be scratched. He played the past four games; Tampa Bay had used 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the six previous games without Point. … The Lightning didn't hold a morning skate and Cooper said Hagel's status is unknown. … Bednar said Kadri and Cogliano, each a forward, are day to day.