DENVER – Nazem Kadri scored three goals in just over two minutes early in the second period and Pavel Francouz made 24 stops in place of injured Darcy Kuemper for the first playoff playoff of his career, while the Colorado Avalanche left the Edmonton Oilers blank 4-0. Thursday to advance 2-0 to the Western Conference Finals.
Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen, with a goal and an assist each, Nathan MacKinnon and Josh Manson scored for the Avalanche during a furious push that lasted 2:04 and had the Oilers on their heels, like the first 40 minutes of the 8 Colorado savages. -6 victory in match 1.
Mike Smith stopped 35 shots for Edmonton, who had scored 31 goals in his last six competitions, after conceding the first goal.
The best-of-seven series is now moving to the capital of Alberta for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.
After Tuesday’s crazy curtain rise that saw all four goalkeepers watch the action, most goals in a 37-year conference final and a controversial offside review, the teams played on Thursday a first encouraging period and even before the home team exploded after the intermission.
Lehkonen put the Avalanche ahead at 3:58 of the second when he deflected Kadri’s shot for his fifth postseason goal after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci conspired to take the record out of the area. defensive.
The shrill crowd at Ball Arena barely had a chance to catch their breath when Manson fired his second just 15 seconds after a feed from Kadri after a soft play by Nurse, who missed the last four games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, which resulted in another rotation.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft called time-out in an effort to stop the bleeding, but Rantanen continued the attack with his third at 6:02 in a 2-on-1 finish with another feed. of Kadri with Nurse as the sole defender.
The oilers, shocked, tried to respond as the period progressed, but Francouz was there to close the door, even with a chance for power from Leon Draisaitl.
Nurse then had a chance to make it 3-1 at the end of the period when the seas parted, only the record was taken off the post at the crucial moment by Colorado support, who played the second half of the first game after Kuemper came out with an upper body injury.
Also put into service during Colorado’s four-game sweep of the Nashville Predators in the first round after Kuemper caught his eye, Francouz took off Connor McDavid’s mask early in the third.
But the home team continued to keep their foot in the gas in a dominant performance at both ends of the court before MacKinnon reached his 10th in a power play with 4:40 remaining in regulation with Smith missing his glove. capture.
The Avalanche, who drew the franchise’s goal-scoring record in a playoff game on Tuesday, now holds a 57-8-5 record in their last 70 home games despite losing twice to the St. Louis Cardinals. Louis Blues at the Ball Arena in the second round.
Woodcroft bounced back from its first 6 strikers on Thursday, likely in hopes of extending its offensive options, including the separation of its two best players for the first time since the first round of the playoffs. McDavid skated with Zach Hyman and Evander Kane, while Draisaitl lined up with Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto.
As in the first game, when the Avalanche attacked him with waves to build a 3-2 lead in the 20th minute, Smith was attacked prematurely.
But unlike the first goal, the 40-year-old Edmonton goalkeeper withstood the storm for a while.
Smith stopped Devon Toews, Lehkonen and MacKinnon on a series of Avalanche opportunities.
After finishing the game’s first power play, the Oilers faced the daunting task of taking a 5-on-3 lead against Colorado’s speed and skill for 1:32, but Edmonton survived with Smith making another big stop at MacKinnon.
Jesse Puljujavri had two chances at the other end before Francouz had to return to his fold with a shot from Ceci from outside the blue line after pulling a loose record into the neutral zone.
Edmonton’s other highlight of the first 20 minutes was McDavid’s overwhelming blow to Andrew Cogliano before the wheels fell to the second, as the Avalanche flexed his muscles to send the Oilers north with many questions before the game. 3.