The Colorado Avalanche defeated the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL’s Stanley Cup title Sunday with a 2-1 victory in Game 6 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
It is the third Stanley Cup victory in Avalanche franchise history and it thwarted the Lightning’s quest to become the first NHL team in nearly 40 years to win three consecutive Stanley Cups.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. At 23, he is the youngest defenseman to win the Conn Smythe since Bobby Orr in 1970.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly handed the Stanley Cup to Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman diagnosed with COVID-19. Former Kings defenseman Jack Johnson was among the first Colorado players to skate with the Cup, finally a winner after 15 seasons.
Second-period goals by Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen in combination with 22 saves by goaltender Darcy Kuemper helped Colorado win its first Stanley Cup in 21 years. Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay in the first period.
The Lightning were trying to become the first team since the 1983 New York Islanders to win three Stanley Cups in a row. The Islanders won four consecutive Cups before losing to Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in 1984.
This is a developing story. The Times will have more on Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final soon.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.