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Avalanche dethrone Lightning to win Stanley Cup for third time

Tampa Bay falls short of becoming NHL's first 3-peat champion since 1980s
Colorado Avalanche celebrate 2022 Stanley Cup Finals victory over Tampa Bay Lightning
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
John Bazemore/AP
The Colorado Avalanche celebrate after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. The Avalanche won 2-1.
Colorado Avalanche celebrate 2022 Stanley Cup Finals victory over Tampa Bay Lightning
Posted at 11:45 PM, Jun 26, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-26 23:45:24-04

TAMPA, Fla. — The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Avalanche beat the Lightning 2-1 on Sunday night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals behind a goal and an assist from Nathan MacKinnon.

Tampa Bay fell two victories short of becoming the NHL's first three-peat champion since the early 1980s New York Islanders dynasty.

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen celebrates after scoring goal on Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen celebrates after scoring on Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the second period of Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.

Colorado's core led by MacKinnon, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and longest-tenured player Erik Johnson finally got the job done after years of playoff disappointments.

It's the franchise's third championship and first since 2001.

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)