Artturi Lehkonen is sending a crew to the Stanley Cup ultimate for the second straight season.
Lehkonen scored 1:19 into extra time, and Colorado rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 Monday night time, finishing a four-game sweep within the Western Convention ultimate and propelling the Avalanche into the Stanley Cup ultimate for the primary time since 2001.
Colorado will tackle the winner of the Jap Convention ultimate between the New York Rangers and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers lead that best-of-seven collection 2-1. Sport 4 is Tuesday at Tampa Bay.
Lehkonen repeated his feat of final season, when he scored in OT in Sport 6 to ship the Montreal Canadiens to the ultimate towards eventual repeat champion Tampa Bay.
“Cale (Makar) took the shot,” Lehkonen stated. “I received a tip on it. It landed straight on my blade. I mainly had an empty netter in entrance of me, so faucet it in.”
Lehkonen turns into the second participant in NHL historical past, and first in 83 years, to attain an extra time purpose to ship his membership into the championship collection greater than as soon as in his profession. Toronto’s Gordie Drillon achieved the feat in 1938-39.
“Everyone is aware of how good he's, how resilient he's,” Mikko Rantanen stated of fellow Finn Lehkonen, acquired by Colorado on the commerce deadline. “He checks, he defends laborious, he kills penalties, performs on the ability play, he scores massive targets, goes to the laborious areas. What else are you able to ask for from a participant – a commerce acquisition. It’s enjoyable to look at, and I’m actually comfortable that we received him, and he’s proven why we gave fairly a bit for him.”
Cale Makar, Devon Toews Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen additionally scored for Colorado. Pavel Francouz stopped 30 of 35 photographs.
“Our predominant factor is simply making an attempt to be resilient, ensuring that each single night time we deliver that very same recreation,” Makar stated. “Typically it won't be fairly, however on the finish of the day we’re simply going to attempt to get the job performed.”
Zach Hyman scored twice for the Oilers. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Zack Kassian additionally scored for Edmonton. Leon Draisaitl had 4 assists and goalie Mike Smith completed with 36 saves.
“I don’t suppose anybody essentially anticipated us to be right here,” Draisaitl stated. “With that being stated, we anticipated to be right here, we need to be right here and we need to be even additional. I’m pleased with the group, however clearly we’re disenchanted.”
McDavid sees the Oilers’ playoff run as transfer in the correct route.
“It feels prefer it’s steps,” McDavid stated. “ Each crew goes via it. You change into a playoff crew, you then get there most years they usually go on a bit little bit of a run. They study that lesson after which it’s their time to win. You take a look at a Colorado crew that has been in that state of affairs many, many instances and clearly they're knocking on the door proper now. It is a step in the correct route.”
The groups mixed for six targets within the third interval – 4 by Colorado, which rallied from a 4-2 deficit regardless of being outshot 15-13.
“It was an ideal comeback win, for positive,” Lehkonen stated. “We have been speaking within the second intermission that we simply received to seek out our recreation and we are able to pull via this.”
Rantanen appeared to finish Colorado’s comeback, scoring a power-play purpose with simply over 5 minutes remaining to provide the Avalanche a 5-4 edge.
However the Oilers stormed again and compelled extra time when Kassian scored at 16:38 and tied it at 5-all. Lehkonen scored 1:19 into extra time, a purpose that stood up after evaluate for a excessive stick.
The Avalanche improved to 11-2 within the playoffs, together with an ideal 7-0 on the highway. Solely six different groups in NHL historical past have strung collectively at the very least seven consecutive highway victories in a post-season.
“I’ve waited a very long time to have a possibility to have an opportunity to play for a Cup,” veteran defenseman Erik Johnson stated. “I noticed the puck in, I used to be simply so comfortable that it went in and we superior and now we get an opportunity to go for the Cup.”
Colorado opened the scoring at 3:46 on an influence play when Lehkonen stole the puck from Hyman and fed Makar earlier than firing a shot via site visitors and in off Smith’s left put up for his fifth purpose of the playoffs.
Trailing 1-0 after the primary interval, the Oilers received going at 7:39 of the second when Hyman took a move from Draisaitl off the frenzy and beat Francouz with a backhand previous the glove for his tenth purpose of the playoffs.
Nugent-Hopkins gave Edmonton its first lead at 16:57 when Toews and MacKinnon received their alerts crossed. The Oilers heart jumped on the turnover and beat Francouz on one other backhand transfer – this time to the blocker facet – together with his sixth as Draisaitl, taking part in with an injured leg, was getting therapy after hobbling to the bench.
Colorado rookie Alex Newhook was whistled for delay of recreation for capturing the puck over the glass late within the interval, and Edmonton made the guests pay when McDavid scored his tenth purpose of the postseason, and thirty first level, beating Francouz off one other Draisaitl feed for a 3-1 lead with 1:06 left within the interval.
McDavid and Draisaitl are the eighth pair of teammates in NHL historical past to every report 30 factors in a playoff.
Colorado received one again 31 seconds into the third when Toews’ shot hit Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci in entrance as he was battling with MacKinnon. It was Toews’ fifth.
Hyman scored his second of the night time and eleventh general on a 4-on-2 rush, sending a knuckling shot off a Draisaitl set-up previous Francouz at 3:55 for a 4-2 lead.
Landeskog received Colorado again inside one at 8:58 on a mad scramble in entrance after Smith turned the puck over.
Edmonton received an influence play with underneath 9 minutes to go searching to return up by two, however Draisaitl’s shot off the facet of Francouz’s purpose was as shut because the Oilers would get.
MacKinnon tied it together with his eleventh on a excessive shot Smith with 6:30 left in regulation, setting the stage for Rantanen’s go-ahead purpose, his fifth of the playoffs.
However Kassian scored his second, firing dwelling a puck within the crease after Draisaitl’s preliminary shot with 3:22 left.
Colorado received previous the Oilers in 4 straight regardless of shedding No 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper and winger Andre Burakovsky to damage in Sport 1, earlier than Kadri went down Saturday. Kuemper returned to function the Francouz’s backup Monday.
“We’re taking part in hockey on June sixth. In an effort to accomplish that, you’ve performed some good issues and I don’t suppose we are able to lose sight of that, however there’s much more required as a way to discover a technique to get the Stanley Cup ultimate,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft stated.
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