Stanley Cup Finals 2022: Schedule, Odds, Start Date For Avalanche vs. Lightning

The Colorado Avalanche will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. The betting odds suggest that the Lightning will likely come up short in their attempt to win a historic third straight NHL championship.

The Avalanche start the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals as -180 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the championship. The Lightning have +155 odds to pull off the upset.

When the Finals start Wednesday night, the Avalanche will have been off for more than a week. Colorado swept the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals, last playing on Monday, June 6.

The Avalanche have led all playoff teams with 4.64 goals per game. Cale Makar has a team-high 22 points in the postseason. Nathan MacKinnon is first with 11 goals.

Colorado had two series sweeps on its way through the Western Conference playoffs. The Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup Finals in 2001.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy led the way for the Lightning through the Eastern Conference. The 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has a 2.27 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 23 points. Veteran Steven Stamkos is first on the team with nine goals.

The Avalanche have home-ice advantage. The Lightning have started every 2022 playoff series on the road.

It’s been 20 years since any major American professional sports franchise won three championships in a row. The Los Angeles Lakers completed the last three-peat by winning the 2002 NBA Finals. The New York Islanders were the last NHL team to accomplish the feat, winning four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980-83.

Here’s the complete 2022 Stanley Cup Finals schedule, including the date, location, start time and TV channel for each game.

• Game 1: Wednesday, June 15, 8 p.m. ET at Colorado (ABC/ESPN+)
• Game 2: Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m. ET at Colorado (ABC/ESPN+)
• Game 3: Monday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET at Tampa Bay (ABC/ESPN+)
• Game 4: Wednesday, June 22, 8 p.m. ET at Tampa Bay (ABC/ESPN+)
• Game 5: Friday, June 24, 8 p.m. ET at Colorado (ABC/ESPN+) *If necessary
• Game 6: Sunday, June 26, 8 p.m. ET at Tampa Bay (ABC/ESPN+) *If necessary
• Game 7: Tuesday, June 28, 8 p.m. ET at Colorado (ABC/ESPN+) *If necessary