EDMONTON, Alberta – Fourteen games, 12 wins.
Western Conference champions with only two defeats on the way.
The Avalanche met Monday to complete its second three-set sweep of the best of seven, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime to advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since they won it all. in 2001.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s just resilience, belief, guys just want to win.”
Winger Artturi Lehkonen scored with a 1:19 time rebound from returning to match 4 of the Western Conference finals to crown a furious rally. Colorado trailed by two goals twice in a third wild period that featured six goals.
“When I saw that record come in, I was very happy and now we have the opportunity to play in the Cup that all children dream of,” said Avs defender Erik Johnson, 34, the oldest member of a franchise that ended in a 22-league, 22-game winning streak in 2016-17. “Having this opportunity, so we’re excited. I’m excited. So excited.”
Lehkonen hit a high shot from defender Cale Makar and the puck hit goalkeeper Mike Smith. Smith’s contact denied a possible whistle for a high post and Lehkonen hit the rebound on an open net. Makar had a hand in five goals, scoring the first.
“We had a good resistance in this third period,” said left-back and team captain Gabe Landeskog, who scored to make it 4-3 for the Avs during a back-and-forth stretch that resembled the first game.
“Lehky: This is a clutch goal at a key time.”
Colorado will face the winner of the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers lead this series 2-1. The Avs could have another one-week break between games, as they did after clearing Nashville in the first round.
“It’s amazing,” said center Nathan MacKinnon, who drew 4-4. “We just felt like it was our turn.”
Johnson saw it coming.
“We are very resilient. Even after the third we went into the locker room before the extra time and we just said, ‘Hi guys, we would sign up for this big comeback. All the pressure is on them. So we stayed with him and lowered our heads and knew that if we played the right way and kept playing like that, it would come. “
A 4-4 draw, Avalanche center-back Mikko Rantanen scored a power goal with 5:13 left in the third period to take Colorado’s first lead since advancing 1-0. But less than two minutes later, Oilers winger Zach Kassian threw himself at a loose disc in the fold to forge another tie.
Landeskog and MacKinnon put the records behind Smith at 8:58 and 13:30 to make it 4-4. Landeskog hit the record on the net during a moment of chaos in the fold and MacKinnon beat Smith with a shot to the wrist from the top deck.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Colorado Avalanche midfielder Nathan MacKinnon (29) skated behind Edmonton Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith (41) after scoring against him in the third period during the fourth game of the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals in Rogers Place on June 6, 2022.
The Avs had a 1-0 lead and dominated the game early in the second period before the Oilers scored a goal from Zach Hyman to tie it and then scored two goals with 1:57 at the end of the frame to take a lead. 3-1 on the scoreboard. third.
Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins defeated goalkeeper Pavel Francouz in reverse on the breakaway. Leon Draisaitl did attempt a finish, but from an awkward position, sending the ball into the away fans.
Just over a minute after the Nugent-Hopkins goal, Colorado striker Alex Newhook fired the ball offside from the defensive side due to a shorter delay in the game. And 52 seconds later, Connor McDavid beat Francouz with a wrist blow to the power play.
In the first minute of the third period, Toews made up for his costly turnover by scoring to put Colorado in goal. His shot came in from the right hand side but Edmonton Cody Ceci managed to save it with an unbelievable reaction stop.
But Edmonton regained a two-goal lead taking advantage of a 3-on-2 run, with McDavid dropping the record for Draisaitl and Draisaitl handing out Hyman for a single blast.
Makar opened the scoring. He arrived during the first power play of the game as a result of Kassian’s fall to the defense of Avs Jack Johnson. Lehkonen sent the disk from bottom to top to Makar, who found a lane and placed the disk over his shoulder on the side of Smith’s glove.
“It simply came to our notice then. I’m very proud of them for what they’ve accomplished so far, “Bednar said.” Our first goal was the regular season and then round 1, 2 and 3, a kind of five-step process so we can be the best. team we can be. To achieve our habits during the regular season and find a way to move forward and keep trying to improve, we did it. “
Footnotes. Goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper, who was injured early in the first game of this series, was allowed to play and supported Francouz. … Mikko Rantanen, a natural right winger, replaced the injured Nazem Kadri as the Avs’ second-line center-back. Winger Andre Burakovsky returned from a two-game absence due to injury and winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel replaced Nico Sturm. … Oilers striker Dylan Holloway, 20, made his NHL debut. Edmonton came back with 11 forwards and an additional defender (Kris Russell).