AP

Avalanche try to ignore being favored in final vs. Lightning

Jun 13, 2022, 1:58 AM | Updated: 1:59 pm

Colorado Avalanche players stand with the Campbell Conference Bowl and Deputy Commissioner Bill Dal...

Colorado Avalanche players stand with the Campbell Conference Bowl and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley after defeating the Edmonton Oilers during overtime NHL hockey conference finals action in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday, June 6, 2022. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

(Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Expectations for the Colorado Avalanche have not diminished since the start of the playoffs.

They were favored to win the Western Conference and reach the Stanley Cup Final, and now that they’re here, oddsmakers think they have an edge over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have won the last two finals. The Avalanche will need to overcome a long layoff to live up to the mantra of being -180 favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook in a highly anticipated series that begins Wednesday night in Denver.

“We just have to put our focus on our group,” said winger Andre Burakovsky, who won the Cup with Washington in 2018. “We’re not going to focus on the outside of we are the favorites or underdog or anything like that. We’re here to play our game, find our own success and not try to focus too much on the outside (elements) that we can’t control.”

One of those elements is the schedule. After sweeping Edmonton in the West final, Colorado is going more than a week between games.

The eight days between series is slightly longer than the game-less span the Avalanche had after sweeping Nashville before facing St. Louis in the second round. Coach Jared Bednar and his staff have attempted to balance rest and competitive practices to keep the juices flowing knowing what’s coming. Players insist they will be ready.

“At this point of the year, it’s not very hard to get up for the games,” winger Mikko Rantanen said. “It’s the finals, so it doesn’t matter if it would be a 40-day break — I think everybody will be mentally ready to play.”

Rantanen added the layoff is not an excuse and that “it’s every individual’s responsibility to be ready.” Bednar is chiefly responsible for setting the practice schedule and putting players in the best position to win.

“I feel good about getting a couple of days away from the rink to get sort of decompressed and then start gearing things up a little bit,” Bednar said. “It’s doesn’t feel like it’s too much time. I like the focus of our group, I like the work of our group.”

The Avs are without injured forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano, who Bednar on Sunday wouldn’t rule out.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper over the weekend said it was likely top center Brayden Point, who has been out a month since getting injured in Game 7 of the first round against Toronto, will play at some point during the final.

The Avalanche finished off the Oilers without Kadri and starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who backed up Pavel Francouz in the series-clinching victory. Bednar isn’t tipping his hand on which goalie will start Game 1, and players know they have to keep up a certain level of play if Kadri remains out.

“We know Naz is a great player for us and brings a lot, especially on the offensive side, and even defensively he plays responsibly,” Rantanen said. “(We) try to play our own game and not think about too much. We obviously hope that Naz can play and he’s been looking good, so I don’t know.”

Burakovsky is back after missing time from blocking a shot with his left leg in the series opener against the Oilers. Having the extra time off allows Colorado — which will be without top-four defenseman Samuel Girard because of a broken sternum — to get Burakovsky and others closer to 100% at a time of year when few players are fully healthy.

It also helps to have a player like Burakovsky around who has won the Cup, and while he’s not looking back too much to five years ago and the Capitals beating Tampa Bay on the way to the title, that experience is part of what gives him confidence. Even more of that confidence comes from what Colorado has done this season and on this run.

“We know what we can do as a group,” he said. “We showed it for previous years and this whole season and especially in the playoffs here that we have what it takes to win, and we’re just going to bring it out in this series, too.”

___

AP Sports Writers Arnie Stapleton in Denver and Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida, contributed.

___

Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Avalanche try to ignore being favored in final vs. Lightning