DENVER -- Artturi Lehkonen planted himself in front of the net, the Colorado Avalanche forward lowering his stick at just the right time to get a piece of defenseman Cale Makar’s shot for a game-tying goal in Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
t’s the type of play that’s become commonplace with Lehkonen in Colorado, one that the Avalanche defensemen almost expect him to make on a nightly basis.
“Anytime as D we see him with even half his stick available to shoot at, we shoot at it because most of the time he gets it,” defenseman Devon Toews said with a laugh.
“He’s able to find soft points in coverage and he’s got a great stick. He’s able to deflect so many pucks and he works on it. He works so hard on it.”
Lehkonen’s hard work has paid off for a while, including in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has four points (two goals, two assists) in two playoff games, second on the Avalanche behind Makar, who has five points (one goal, four assists).
He’ll look to keep being a key for the Avalanche when they host the Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round on Friday (10 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, TVAS, CBC).
The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1 after the Avalanche defeated the Jets 5-2 on the road in Game 2.
It’s not easy work, getting into the hard areas, taking the whacks, hacks and slashes, but it’s the price Lehkonen is willing to pay.
“Nothing comes easy when you're out there,” he said. “Especially scoring goals, it's the hard work from all five guys that will create an opportunity for someone.”
Lehkonen’s ability to take the punishment and produce has earned him the nickname Warrior from the Avalanche.
“We all know. We all call him that,” defenseman Josh Manson said. “He goes to the hard areas, plays that tough-style game, forechecks hard, blocks shots. Goes to the hard areas and does exactly what we need to do in the playoffs, and I think that’s why you see all of the success he’s had in the playoffs because his game flourishes.”
Indeed, the 28-year-old has been at his best in the postseason. He has seven game-winning goals in 62 playoff games with the Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens. Four of those came in the 2022 postseason, when Colorado won the Stanley Cup.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar called him “a coach’s dream.”
“I can pick guys around the League that I’m a big fan of the way they play for multiple reasons. He's one of them,” Bednar said. “When you do the right things all the time, day after day, practice, games, and you're an intense competitor, it's going to pay off for you at some point. I feel like we've seen that out of him.
“Big moments, just doing the right thing, competing hard, great detail to his game, high level of skill and ability, that's all you can ask for from a player. He's never going to shortchange you on his effort, his competitiveness, the work he puts into the game. He's one of those guys.”
Lehkonen was a solid player in his early career with the Canadiens, who selected him in the second round (No. 55) in the 2013 NHL Draft. Acquired in a trade with the Canadiens on March 21, 2022, Lehkonen has found his niche since joining the Avalanche and had an NHL career-high 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) with them last season.
Winnipeg forward Tyler Toffoli, who played with him in Montreal from 2020-22, said Lehkonen always worked hard but “didn’t always have the greatest opportunity.”
“He was playing sort of limited minutes,” Toffoli said. “Once he came here, he started playing with the big boys and obviously he’s done a real good job. His game has definitely rounded out really well and he’s obviously been one of their better players so far this season.”
The Avalanche have benefitted from Lehkonen’s fearless style of play, especially in the postseason. For him, it’s just part of the job and a role he loves playing.
“I mean, it’s the most fun time of the year to play and it’s just fun to play hockey in these kinds of games,” Lehkonen said. “[You] really give it your all.”
