Avalanche overcome adversity again in Game 4 to reach Stanley Cup Final
Rally in third period after trailing by two goals, complete sweep in OT after Oilers tie it late
Why would this be any different?
Here they were, hugging and yelling and celebrating after forward Artturi Lehkonen had seemingly scored the series winner at 1:19 of overtime to give the Avalanche a 6-5 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place on Monday. All they needed was the officials to confirm it was a good goal.
"I was hoping it wasn't a high stick," Lehkonen said.
It wasn't. The officials pointed to center ice. Good goal. And for a team that has experienced so much heartbreak and some bad breaks over the past two decades, the wait was worth it, even if they had to for a few more minutes.
When the goal was confirmed, no one whooped louder than defenseman Erik Johnson, the longest-serving member of the Avalanche who has played for Colorado since 2011. If anyone symbolized what this moment was all about, it was him.
"I've waited a long time to have an opportunity to have a chance to play for a Cup," the 34-year-old said. "I saw the puck go] in, I was just so happy that it went in and we advanced and now we get a chance to go for the Cup.
"I was excited, so excited."
He wasn't alone.
For the past three seasons, the star-studded Avalanche could not advance beyond the second round. In 2019, they lost in seven games to the San Jose Sharks. In 2020, they were eliminated in Game 7 by the Dallas Stars. Last season ended with a six-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
***[RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Oilers series coverage]*
Through it all, they had to answer questions of why a team with such elite talent like forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, and defenseman Cale Makar, could not get over the hump. They did so by defeating the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Second Round in six games and advancing to the conference final against the Oilers.
Finally getting to the NHL's final four seemed to take the pressure off Colorado. Suddenly, the Avalanche have overcome any adversity they've faced.
Defenseman Samuel Girard is out for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs because of a broken sternum sustained in Game 3 against the Blues. Forward Nazem Kadri was ruled out for the remainder of the series against the Oilers, even had it gone seven games, after being hit from behind by forward Evander Kane in Game 3. Starting goalie Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave Game 1 against Edmonton with an upper-body injury and was replaced by Pavel Francouz, who made 30 saves Monday and is now 6-0 this postseason.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said any team that wins the Cup experiences such pain. It's one of the reasons, he said, that this team is different from past ones.
"It's such a hard trophy to win," Bednar said. "It's a battle of attrition. No one gets through it without suffering a bunch of ups and downs and ebbs and flows to series, to injuries, facing adversity, and it seems that the teams that get through that the best are usually the ones that are standing at the end, or at least getting in the finals.
"We've faced our share. No different for us in the regular season. But I'm proud of the guys."
He had reason to be, especially after the resiliency Colorado showed in Game 4. Trailing by two goals after the second period, Bednar delivered a simple message.
"Well, at 3-1 after two, there's no more pressure, so we might as well go play our game and play loose and get after it," Bednar said. "Lay it all on the table."
The Avalanche responded with four of the game's next five goals to take a 5-4 lead into the final minutes of the third period. Even when Edmonton forward Zack Kassian tied it with 3:22 left, Colorado never lost confidence.
Lehkonen scored the game-winner with help from Makar, who continues to wow the hockey world. The 23-year-old had five points (one goal, four assists) and again showed a maturity far beyond his years, leading all skaters with 29:03 of ice time.
"Obviously it's a cool accomplishment," Makar said of reaching the Cup Final. "You're making it to the biggest stage of the world in hockey, and it's exciting. You take it in for the night and then, for me, kind of move on and turn the focus to the next step. That's what's made this team successful so far this year. We don't look too far ahead. We stay in the moment.
"Enjoy this one for a bit and then go on to the next."
According to Rantanen, whether that means facing the Tampa Bay Lightning or New York Rangers, the teams competing in the Eastern Conference Final, is irrelevant. The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 is in Tampa on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"After the first round, we had a week off too, so it's nothing new to us," Rantanen said. "From that series, it doesn't matter at all. Whoever comes, that's who we play. We don't care at all."
All that matters to them is the task at hand. Four more victories to the Stanley Cup.
