There’s something about playing the Lightning in the postseason that brings out the best in Andre Burakovsky.

On Wednesday, the Avalanche winger scored 83 seconds into overtime to seal a thrilling 4-3 win over Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final — not the first time Burakovsky has plagued the Lightning in the playoffs. 

In 2018 with the Capitals, he scored twice on Tampa in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, after which Washington went on to win its first title. Now, on a team loaded with stars, he’s Colorado’s secret weapon against the two-time defending champs.

• The 27-year-old is one of four Avs with Final experience — and besides Darren Helm, the only Cup winner.
• He scored a career-high 22 goals during the regular season and has two in 11 playoff games thus far.
• Burakovsky scored the earliest OT goal in the Final since the Canucks’ Alexandre Burrows in 2011 (11 seconds).

Burakovsky can rely on his clutch performances for leverage this offseason, when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent — he’s finishing the two-year, $9.8 million extension he signed in 2020.

In the meantime, the Swede has set the tone for what should be a highly competitive series. Colorado’s victory marked the 95th overtime contest in a Final — and 20th in the opener.

Thanks to Burakovsky’s heroics, Colorado’s odds to win their first title since 2001 moved up to -285.

This NBA season isn’t even over, and the Mavericks are already adding pieces to help their superstar break his playoff glass ceiling next year.

On Wednesday, Dallas acquired rising star Christian Wood from Houston in exchange for this year’s 26th pick and four role players. The move should take some pressure off Luka Doncic, as the undrafted 26-year-old has become an effective pick-and-pop forward.

The Mavs are clearly in win-now mode — a new chapter for a franchise that just made its first conference finals in a decade on the NBA’s fifth-lowest payroll ($127M). 

• Wood is due for $14.3M in the final year of his contract, which Dallas will offset by offloading $11M in salaries.
• Doncic’s backcourt partner and UFA Jalen Brunson (16.3 PPG) is expected to re-up for at least $20M-$25M annually.
• Owner Mark Cuban has shown a willingness to spend — the Mavs currently have the 7th-highest payroll for 2022-23 ($153.8M).

Doncic should be relieved to play with Wood, who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds on 50.7% shooting with Houston — one of only five players to average 19/9 on 50% shooting in the past two seasons. 

Perhaps most importantly, he shot 40% on catch-and-shoot threes this past season, which should further space the floor for Luka to do his thing.

It’s a big move for the Mavs, but oddsmakers aren’t quite convinced they can get over the Finals hump — Dallas has the 10th-best odds (+1500) to win it all next year.

In the second inning of Wednesday’s 9-2 rout of the Rangers, Astros starter Luis Garcia threw the 107th immaculate inning in MLB history — and in the seventh, reliever Phil Maton delivered No. 108.

For the first time, there were two immaculate innings in the same game — or on the same day — a feat amplified by the fact that both came against the same three batters.

It’s just another feather in the cap of an elite Houston staff cobbled together from a relatively modest pitching payroll that covers a wide range of salaries.

• The Astros have spent only the eighth-most ($56.9M) on pitching this season.
• But they’re top-four in MLB in ERA (3.03), WHIP (1.13), OBA (.219), quality starts (32), and shutouts (7).
• Garcia ($1.3M) is still under team control, while Maton ($1.6M) is in his second arbitration year.
• Astros ace Justin Verlander has the second-best odds (+400) to win the AL Cy Young, but only the eighth-highest salary ($25M) among pitchers.

As a franchise, the Astros have now thrown nine immaculate innings — tied with the Dodgers and Yankees for most ever.

Along with their formidable hitting, the Astros’ pitching has consolidated first place in the AL West with a 39-24 record.

Houston has the third-best odds (+650) to win the 2022 World Series.