NHL Stanley Cup Final 2022: Latest Hot Takes from Fans for Game 2

There couldn't have been a much better way to start the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning played a tightly contested Game 1 on Wednesday night, and it wasn't decided until the Avs' Andre Burakovsky scored a goal one minute and 23 seconds into overtime.

Now, it's on to Game 2, which is set for Saturday night and will also be played in Denver. While Colorado will look to extend its lead to 2-0 on its home ice, Tampa Bay will try to even the series before it hosts Games 3 and 4.

What's going to happen? It could easily go either way, especially after how Game 1 unfolded.

The Avalanche had a 3-1 lead before the end of the first period, but the Lightning tied it up with a pair of second-period goals. Neither team scored again until Burakovsky's OT game-winner.

As Sportsnet pointed out, 13 of the previous 17 teams to notch an overtime win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the series, carrying that early momentum to the Cup. But there are plenty of fans on social media who aren't ready to crown the Avs champion after one game:

It's true that the Lightning have already overcome plenty of adversity this postseason. They were down 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round before winning Games 6 and 7 to advance. And they were down 2-0 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final before reeling off four straight victories.

And of course, Tampa Bay is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion. So this is a team filled with players who have experienced past playoff success.

If Colorado is going to take a 2-0 lead, it may need a stronger performance from goaltender Darcy Kuemper in Game 2. In the series opener, he had an .870 save percentage with three goals allowed on 23 Tampa Bay shots.

Some Avalanche fans on Twitter are confident that Kuemper will bounce back:

Even if the Avalanche didn't have their best showing in the second and third period, it was impressive how quickly they ended Game 1 in overtime. That's not easy to do, especially when playing an opponent as talented as the Lightning.

And, sure, a 1-0 lead or even a 2-0 lead doesn't guarantee a series victory. But there are plenty of people confident that Colorado is on the right track after taking the first game of the Stanley Cup Final:

There's still a lot of hockey to be played between Colorado and Tampa Bay, especially if the series goes six or seven games. And with how competitive Game 1 was, it wouldn't be surprising if it takes that long to decide a Cup winner.

It should be an exciting series, too, if the opener was any indication. But as many fans have mentioned, Game 2 could be crucial in determining who wins the Cup. If the Lightning can even the series before returning home, it could make things more difficult on the Avalanche. That's unless Colorado proves it can win in Tampa as well, and that's quite possible to happen.