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Colorado Avalanche fans’ reaction to the team’s 4-3 overtime win over the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals is brought to you by the letter “F.” Avs boosters on Twitter were so overjoyed by the way the thrillingly nerve-racking June 15 contest ended that their thumbs naturally drifted toward that letter – generally followed by a “U,” a “C,” a “K” and one or more exclamation points.
The victory wasn’t easy to achieve, for many of the reasons outlined in our post about the five things newbie Avs fans need to know about the Lightning – particularly as they applied to outstanding Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and his squad’s defensive approach.
At times during the NHL Eastern Conference finals, which pitted Tampa Bay against the New York Rangers, Vasilevskiy looked human rather than superhuman, and that was the case during the first period, when the Avs netted three pucks (fired by captain Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen) over a span of less than ten minutes. The last of these goals was particularly satisfying, as it took place during a five-on-three power play caused by penalties committed against Avs standouts Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar that nearly caused Lightning coach Jon Cooper’s brain to melt.
After that, however, Vasilevskiy regained his legendarily intense focus, and his teammates mucked up the pace, stymying the Avs for the next two periods. Meanwhile, Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back in the lineup after recovering from what was termed an upper-body injury against the Edmonton Oilers, was his usual okay-but-not-great self, allowing three Tampa Bay goals on just 23 shots (as compared to 38 for Vasilevskiy). As a result, the score was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation.
But during the post-season, overtime has been winning time for the Avs, and when Andre Burakovsky took advantage of a Lightning turnover and slapped a shot past Vasilevskiy after just over a minute of skating, Ball Arena went off like Mount Vesuvius.
Similar eruptions occurred on Twitter, and they weren’t limited to loyalists in Colorado. Thanks in part to an antipathy for Tampa Bay in general and the Lightning in particular, the Avs have clearly been embraced around the hockey world – and the joy expressed was both palpable and profane. Count down the following twenty tweets to see what we mean.
Number 20:
Fuck you Tampa Bay! Go Avs pic.twitter.com/hA7KwD8K71
— Ryan (@JustRyan4850818) June 16, 2022
Number 19:
I really hope the #AVS win the #StanleyCup cup so the #TorontoMapleLeafs fans can shut the fuck up and stop somehow relating anything and everything the #Lightning do or don’t do back to themselves!
— Elvis (DELETED @ 133M) ffs, gutted! (@Ej_screenwriter) June 16, 2022
Number 18:
the avs are gonna win the cup in 5 games against tampa bc FUCK tampa bay
— miss namjoonist (@prodcypher) June 16, 2022
Number 17:
I'm drunk
I'm weird
Fuck you
Shut up
Go hawks go avs pic.twitter.com/cbkOappgbh— Struthers (@StruthersNFT) June 16, 2022
Number 16:
Hopefully people shut the fuck up about how the Avs don’t belong.
— Stanley Cup Finals Team Appreciator (@StrictlyRandy) June 16, 2022
Number 15:
Fuck yeah
Avs:1
Tampa: 0Let's gooooooo!!!
— Kess (@AceAr0taku) June 16, 2022
Number 14:
FUCK THE BOLTS LETS GO AVS
— temporary avs fan 🔠(@miiingyuan) June 16, 2022
Number 13:
#GoAvsGo take game 1 BABY LETS FUCKING GO!!!!!!!!
Avs taking it back home. Tampa.. honestly.. your franchise speaks for itself. Fuck you Tampa#GoAvsGo!!! Go get that cup Lehky
— Connor ~ KINGS (@KINGSGaming22) June 16, 2022
Number 12:
Fuck the bolts! Never see a team flop so much, so slow paced, I thought this was gonna be a 7 game series, but I think avs got this sooner
— DeeGeez Pickz (@DeegeezP) June 16, 2022
Number 11:
At first I thought I’d want Tampa to win because Ryan mcdonagh is a top 5 in my heart aaf but actually fuck that. Go avs
— LC (@lauries012x) June 16, 2022
Number 10:
I want Avs in 4 to fully shut Leafs fans the fuck up.
— Hurley (@sjhurley95) June 16, 2022
Number 9:
Lost money but fuck it the Avs won https://t.co/YhVLpzkOle pic.twitter.com/0WzsiI9qbJ
— FB Bets (@FB_Betss) June 16, 2022
Number 8:
AVS, FUCK YES!
— Jonathan Haffke (@JHaffke) June 16, 2022
Number 7:
fuck yes, avs win 🫦
— nes (@chim_chim333) June 16, 2022
Number 6:
Avs baby! Fuck Tampa
— clyde drexly 🇵🇸 (@Doolyigami) June 16, 2022
Number 5:
Avs! Fuck Tampa!
— Yanks Yak (@YanksYak) June 16, 2022
Number 4:
AVS FUCK YESSSSS
— Jazz is in their suds era (@jazzmuhtazz) June 16, 2022
Number 3:
FUCK YEAH!! Love my Avs!! https://t.co/0hUPw4Q345
— Diamonds and Pearl's (@Donna_Sunshine9) June 16, 2022
Number 2:
Well done Avs and fuck you Tampa Bay.
— Skippy Johnston (@LukeAFoley) June 16, 2022
Number 1:
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO, IM SO HAPPY, PRETTY SURE I HURT MY JAW BUT FUCK IT, LETS GO AVS BABY
— SCF!!!! – Trevan:) (@Cale4Norris) June 16, 2022
