Can you correct a previous article for me. I believe after game 4 I had mentioned that the Avs were one win away from their first Western Conference Final since 2001, it was actually 2002.
Colorado’s fourth line delivers in 3-2 win
The Colorado Avalanche are going to their first Western Conference Final in 20 years.
The advancement comes following a 3-2 game 6 win in St. Louis, Friday night.
The typical players expected to perform in this caliber of game were kept well in check. The offensive production came from Colorado’s fourth line.
St. Louis once again had their backs against the wall in another potential elimination game. They appeared to set the tone late in the first period when Justin Faulk scored with a minute left in the period. The feeling of another possible second round collapse entered the minds of Avalanche fans.
In the second period, Colorado would answer 5:19 into the period with a goal from J.T. Compher, his first of the playoffs, tying the game at 1-1.
It wouldn’t take the Blues long to respond. About four minutes later, Brayden Schenn would steal the puck at his own blue line and feed Jordan Kyrou during the odd-man rush to give St. Louis the lead again. The Blues would keep their lead going into the second intermission.
“I thought we were unfortunate to be down,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “I liked the way we were playing. I did. I thought their goalie made some big saves and we couldn’t track down a few rebounds. But for us, it was kind of about carrying the play a little bit. Our guys were doing the right things and saying the right things on the bench. You could tell we were up. We score to tie it, they score again, that was a little bit deflating, but our guys bounced back right away with some good shifts.”
At the halfway mark of the 3rd period, Compher took a shot from the left face-off dot, beating Ville Husso and tying the game 2-2. This was Compher’s second goal of the night and of the playoffs.
“Obviously the game, we had a chance to take it,” Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly said. “I thought ‘Huus’ gave us a chance, he made some huge stops, gave us a chance all game. I thought we started a little slow, which hurt us. That was kind of the feeling that we had all series at home. We didn’t play the way we needed to here, which made it difficult to win. Lost every game at home here … just very disappointing.”
St. Louis turned up the pressure late in the third, but Colorado would create one last offensive push, starting behind their own net. With 16 seconds left in a tied game, Cale Makar would set up Eric Johnson down the right boards. Johnson dropped the puck to Logan O’Connor who fed Darren Helm for the game-winning goal. Helm’s first of the playoffs.
“We had three guys going hard to the net and I was just kind of trailing,” Helm said. “The pass bounced off the side wall, I just wanted to get the puck on the net, and it found its way.”
“I think early on up the ice, we’re kind of in a set forecheck, we let their D get by us and carry the puck up the ice, created a little bit of an odd-man rush, made a play to the weak side,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. “They shot it, went through some people and it went in. But up ice, we could have done a better job.”
Colorado outshot St. Louis 39-20 in the game and capitalized on the man advantage, going 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
The Avalanche advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2002 when they lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion, Detroit Red Wings (yeah, I just poured a little salt in the wound there).
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