(Denver) When people started to believe that the Edmonton Oilers could surprise the hockey world by winning the Stanley Cup this year, Connor McDavid and his gang played as if they were playing a November game, Thursday evening. Result: they are now trailing 0-2 in the Western Conference Finals.
Posted at 11:12 p.m.
Updated at 11:37 p.m.
The Colorado Avalanche won, 4-0, a game that was surprisingly focused on defensive play, two days after their spectacular 8-6 victory. Playing in front of their second goaltender, Pavel Francouz, the Avalanche players played it safe and gave the prolific Oilers almost no scoring chances.
It was in the space of 2: 04 in the second period that the game was played. The line of Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen scored three times in that span and the Oilers never recovered. Unlike Game 1, when they were down four goals at one point, the Oilers seemed to give up after that three-goal push.
Kadri was the spark plug, getting an assist on all three goals. The former Toronto Maple Leafs could get free agency on July 13 and demand for his services will be strong. However, the Avalanche currently have approximately 23 million games under the salary cap and Kadri will definitely be at the top of general manager Joe Sakic’s priorities.
The Avalanche GM has been shopping before the trade deadline this winter and his acquisitions are paying off. Obtained from the Canadian, Lehkonen proves since his arrival in Colorado that he is a very good hockey player, contrary to what some observers in Montreal seemed to believe.
In 28 games with the Avalanche, including 12 in the playoffs, the Finn totaled 11 goals and 6 assists with a differential of +8. Despite the disastrous season that the CH knew, note that the differential of Lehkonen was 0 in Montreal.
Kent Hughes got an interesting return in Justin Barron and a second-round pick, but Sakic got his hands on a complete 26-year-old who is on the cusp of his prime. A physical player, very responsible defensively, and capable of scoring 25 to 30 goals per season if he is well surrounded, as is the case in Colorado.
Lehkonen scored his 5e of the playoffs on Thursday, and defenseman Josh Manson, another late Sakic acquisition, also hit the mark. Manson adds muscle to a gifted defense at will to revive the attack, but which was not the most imposing, even less since the departure of Ryan Graves in New Jersey.
Due to the upper body injury he suffered in Game 1 of the series, Darcy Kuemper was out of uniform. And if Francouz plays with as much confidence as he did in Game 2, Kuemper may have to wait before getting back into the net even if he is able to do so.
But let’s be honest. The Oilers barely tested the Czech keeper, who stopped 24 shots. Still, a shutout is a shutout, especially when McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are among your opponents.
In goal for the Oilers, Mike Smith started the game on the right foot, making several good saves. This departure was however quickly forgotten after the three goals scored in time to say it in the second period.
Curiously, even after those three goals, it was the Avalanche who played with a sense of urgency. The Oilers never managed to find their rhythm, which may be explained by their lack of experience. But when we reach the four aces, we simply do not have the right to take an evening off as the Oilers have just done.
The Avalanche certainly won’t make that mistake. After sweeping the Nashville Predators in the first round and eliminating a formidable opponent in the second, the St. Louis Blues, Jared Bednar’s men have clearly learned their lesson from the first game against Edmonton. The Oilers had scored three straight goals to cut a 7-3 to 7-6 deficit to scare their opponents. Two days later, the Avalanche were and remained in control throughout the game, playing with tremendous structure and focus.
We can expect a much better effort and a much better performance from the Oilers in Game 3. In front of their supporters, on a Saturday evening moreover, they will surely play with the energy of despair. This will be essential, because if they lose a third in a row, their return to the final will have to wait.