(St. Louis) The Colorado Avalanche were looking for solutions to revive their big offensive guns, but it was the depth players who answered the call.
Posted at 11:11 p.m.
Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Saturday night in Game 3 of their series.
In a 2-on-1 build, Lehkonen opted for a shot from the wide side and beat Ville Husso’s vigilance to give his team a 3-1 lead in the dying minutes of the second period.
After seeing the Blues close the gap before the end of the second period, the Avalanche closed the game in the final period and prevented their opponents from creating a tie.
The Colorado squad took a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 taking place Monday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Playing his first game since May 9, Logan O’Connor scored the first playoff goal of his career and took advantage of his 7:42 of ice time. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, while Gabriel Landeskog added a goal.
Darcy Kuemper had some luck on occasion, but he finished the game with 29 saves for the Avalanche, which finished first in the Western Conference.
Series over for Girard
The victory of the troop of Jared Bednar was not however obtained without pitfalls. She lost in combat Quebec defender Samuel Girard, who left the game in the first minutes after conceding a solid check from Ivan Barbashev. Girard, his face bloody, left the rink on his own, before being sent to hospital for examinations.
After the match, Bednar explained that Girard suffered a fractured sternum and his streak was over.
The situation is no better for the Blues, who had to turn to Husso after goalkeeper Jordan Binnington was injured in contact with Kadri.
Colton Parayko and Ryan O’Reilly moved the ropes for the St. Louis team. Husso gave up four times on 23 shots.
Parayko opened the scoring in the fourth minute of play. After O’Reilly won a face-off in enemy territory, the tall defenseman fired a slap shot and the puck hit Devon Toews’ stick before beating Kuemper .
The match, however, changed following the departure of Binnington. O’Connor speeded past defenseman Justin Faulk and played a quick fake to Husso to send the puck into the back of the net.
In the second period, Kadri gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead when he redirected a pass from Makar behind Husso. Less than four minutes later, Lehkonen hit the target for the third time in the playoffs.
The Blues didn’t give up and made it 3-2 with just 30 seconds left in the second period. O’Reilly broke away from a cover and jumped on Nick Leddy’s throw return for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
The Avalanche, however, closed the books thanks to tight play and also thanks to Husso’s hesitation late in the game. Seeking to go to the bench to offer one more skater to his formation, the Finnish goalkeeper remained caught in the heart of a counter-attack from the visitors. Nathan MacKinnon slipped the puck to Landeskog, who had no trouble flashing the red light.