The German ice hockey professional Nico Sturm awarded the Colorado Avalanche the first match ball to win the Stanley Cup.
The Denver-based team lost 3-2 to defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth NHL playoff final and is now 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
On the night of Monday (2 a.m. / Sky) Sturm and Co. have the next chance at the championship title.
The Augsburger Sturm, who were traded from Minnesota Wild to Denver three months ago, clocked 6:07 minutes of ice time but couldn't prevent the Avalanche's first home loss of the Finals series.
Czech Republic's Ondrej Palat scored the winning goal for the visitors from Florida, who have home advantage in their sixth game.
“We have extended the season.
That's what we wanted," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "We found a way, now we have to do it again." The defending champions would be only the second team after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to go 1: 3 would still win the Stanley Cup in the final series.
"It is what it is," said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog: "You have a short memory in the play-offs."
Tampa is attempting to become the first team to win three straight titles since the New York Islanders 40 years ago.
Colorado is targeting its third Stanley Cup triumph after 1996 and 2001.
Sturm would become the fifth German to win ice hockey's most coveted trophy.
Before him, Uwe Krupp was successful with Colorado in 1996 and with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 (without making a final appearance), Dennis Seidenberg in 2011 with the Boston Bruins, Tom Kühnhackl in 2016 and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philipp Grubauer in 2018 with the Washington Capitals.