Tampa, Florida-Josh Manson, when he returned home with a chance to win the Stanley Cup, still had his bag from the time Avalanche last hit the road. It was half packed.
That didn't happen. And now he and his teammates face Game 6 against Lightning on Sunday night. The game was played at the Amalie Arena, where Tampa Bay lifted the cup a year ago to win the second straight title.
Avalanche is trying to win the first championship as a group and the first championship of the organization since 2001, but against a desperate opponent who has so much experience in the playoffs. I know the big challenge in front of me.
"Because it's the final, we need to be desperate," Manson said Saturday in Denver before flying to the Gulf Coast of Florida. "We can't see the amount of games we have left. We have to be desperate in every game."
Colorado wants to avoid two consecutive defeats. .. This will bring Round 7 back to Denver on Wednesday, leaving Tampa Bay one win away from 3 Pete. And Avalanche even has a recipe to handle this situation against more veteran playoff opponents.
When Avalanche rises 3-1 it comes in the second round Second round with rival St. Louis — the last team to win the cup before the Lightning match began in 2020. As on Friday night, Colorado bounced back to conclude the series after losing a one-goal match to Bruce at home. The road in St. Louis.
Manson said Avalanche learned some despair from the sequence, but the Stanley Cup is inside the building, so stakes are high in the finals.
"I know how much our guys want it now. They have worked for it," said Coach Jared Bednar. "There is some stress and anxiety that you have to get out of your head to get the best performance."
Lightning has these spirits, including some new tricks learned this postseason. I know everything about traditional gymnastics. The tournament final with the Rangers has been the first to drag the series since it was swept in the first round of 2019 (the defeat of the series that set the course for this run) and has never been behind 3-1.
John Cooper and his team, who have already stopped their defeat and have won 11 straight games, know exactly what to expect from both sides of Game 6.
"I feel like I'm in the position of another team, so definitely we can handle these situations well. What they are thinking, this situation. What are you thinking when you are in and how the game was played, "Cooper said. "It's an experience ... and experience is important."
The freshest thing about an avalanche is the pain of blowing away the chance to join Lightning as the only team to win the cup at home in the last seven years. It's an experience. However, the disappointment of the previous playoffs strengthened this core group to deal with adversity, and shortly after the 3-2 defeat in Game 5, the leader had already put it in the rear-view mirror.
"It will bounce off quickly," said Captain Gabriel Landeskog, who pointed out the importance of having short-term memory in the playoffs. "This is a 7-game series. It's not easy and it won't happen."
