GAME RECAP: Avalanche 4, Oilers 0 (Game 2)

DENVER, CO - Pavel Francouz stopped all 24 Oilers shots he faced and Nazem Kadri collected three assists as the Avalance took a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final with a 4-0 shutout win in Game 2 on Thursday night at Ball Arena.
The Avalanche scored three of their four goals during a 2:04 span early in the second period, handing the Oilers a two-game hole headed back to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4.

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FIRST BLOOD

In stark contrast to Game 1's combined 14-goal outburst, the teams ground out a scoreless opening frame on Thursday -- including a five-on-three penalty kill by the Oilers -- but that quickly changed in the middle frame as the Avalanche tallied early and often.
The opening goal came at the 3:58 mark as Mikko Rantanen picked off a Darnell Nurse clearing attempt along the wall and dropped the puck to Nazem Kadri, who flicked a wrist shot toward the net that was redirected by Artturi Lehkonen past Mike Smith for the fifth goal of the playoffs by the trade deadline acquisition from the Montreal Canadiens.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Rantanen capped off Colorado's flurry of three goals in 2:04 early in the middle frame with a nifty two-on-one tally courtesy a perfect pass from Kadri. Down 2-0, the Oilers had their top line out with Evan Bouchard pinching in to create extra pressure in the offensive zone.
However, Kadri stole the puck from Evander Kane just inside the Edmonton blue line and surged down the ice with Rantanen on the left wing. Kadri ultimately flipped a pass over the stick of Nurse, who was back defending on his own, and Rantanen buried the feed for his third of the post-season.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Trailing 3-0, the Oilers had a golden opportunity to get on the board with just over a minute to play in the middle frame. Nurse stole the puck at the Colorado blue line to create a two-on-one situation with Connor McDavid, but defenceman Jack Johnson went straight to cover the Oilers captain, allowing Nurse to take on Francouz one-on-one. Just as Nurse deked to his backhand, the goalie stuck out his stick for a perfectly-executed poke-check to keep his team ahead 3-0 through 40 minutes.

TOP PERFORMER

Kadri assisted on all three goals during Colorado's second-period blitz, giving him eight helpers and 14 total points in 12 games during the playoffs. He needs four more points to match his post-season career high, achieved in 15 games with the Avalanche during the 2020 summer bubble.

FAST FACTS

Colorado's second-period barrage marked the second time during the playoffs that they lit the lamp three times in 2:04 or less, as they also did it in Game 4 of Round 2 against St. Louis.
Lehkonen and Josh Manson's two goals in 15 seconds as part of the three-goal flurry were the fifth-fastest pair of tallies in Avalanche post-season history.
Kadri became the ninth player in NHL playoff history with three points in a span of 2:04 or less, and first since 2011 when Henrik Sedin and Sami Salo each did it with Vancouver.

PARTING WORDS

Barrie on the Oilers first period:
"I thought we played a good first. We got in a little penalty trouble and did a good job killing it off. There was a bit of a stretch in the second where they got one and compounded it. They got two, they got three and that's momentum. That's how this team rolls. We have to be a better job when they do get one, we have to stop the bleeding. We can't let it compound and spiral out of control like it did."
McDavid on the Avalanche grabbing control of the game:
"They definitely feed off momentum. They find ways to compound one and turn it into three there. It's on us to grab that. It seems like the shift after goals have hurt us in the last couple of games."
McDavid on what needs to be done to turn it around:
"We've been a real solid home team for the last little while. We love playing in front of those fans and we'll get ourselves back in this series at home."
McDavid on not generating as many rush chances in this series:
"They have good players and good D-men. We haven't had a ton of chances off the rush. We have to find a way to create off the forecheck and off ozone play. They do a lot of good things and we have to find a way to figure them out."
Barrie on the Oilers facing adversity and rebounding for Game 3:
"We're down two heading back to a rink that we love playing in. You guys have seen how excited the city and Edmonton are. We'll be ready to put forth our best effort and bounce back in front of a crazy building. We're certainly not counting ourselves out of this one."
Hyman on the Avalanche's three goal outburst:
"Three goals in however many minutes, obviously that changed the game that in that five-minute lapse. I thought we were playing well up until that point. In the first we were playing well, had some penalties and killed them off, that should be a momentum builder for us. We just had a five-minute lag there in the second and they shut it right down."

Hyman on trying to get through the neutral zone:
"They're a good team. They play fast and they have elite skaters on the backend that are able to break the puck out fast and move through the neutral zone fast. We have to do a better job getting to the paint, and a better job at forechecking and sustaining pressure in the O-zone. At times, when we're doing it, we're doing it well and we're holding on to pucks and you can see what works. I just don't think we're doing it enough."
Brett Kulak on trying to stop the Avalanche's momentum:
"Tonight I didn't get caught out there, but I remember last game I got caught out there. They've had times where they've cycled through a couple of line changes and hemmed us in our own zone. No matter what team you're playing against, when you get tired your legs get heavy and they are able to get fresh legs on. It doesn't matter who it is, but especially against this team, they can cycle, they all get moving, and they all get activated. The defencemen are coming down and finding holes offensively. It's just a matter of limiting those situations and simplifying, and doing a better job as a defenceman to clean up our puck play in the defensive zone."
Hyman on generating a belief that they can win despite the first two games of the series:
"We're still a confident group. It's a series, right? This is how it goes, there are momentum swings, it's a rollercoaster. They defended home ice, so we have an opportunity to go back home, feed off the crowd and get the momentum back. I think we've done a really good job playing at home and we've done a good job throughout this year when our backs are against the wall, we're facing adversity and pushing back. This is a big opportunity for us to do that."
Hyman on the team's mindset and if they have to change things:
"You have to protect home ice, that's huge. You have to go back home and start with the first one. I think in the first game we showed we can score against these guys. We'll get back to that and back to our game. There are things we can do better obviously, but we're confident in our abilities and we're confident in our structure. I think if we maintain that and elevate our game we'll be just fine. We haven't got to the level that we want to get to yet. It's not a matter of our structure, it's doing it over and over again at an elite level."
Woodcroft on a competitive first period but giving up three goals in 3:04 of the second period:
"You know what, I thought it was a really competitive first period. I thought we laid it on the line, especially finding ourselves down shorthanded for six minutes in the first period. I thought we pushed back, we generated some offence, and that little span in the second period really hurt us and took the wind out of our sails. We weren't able to generate what we wanted to generate as the game wore on."

Woodcroft on the Oilers being unable to generate as many chances off the rush this series:
"I think we've had chances. Not as much as we'd like, but we're in the final four and the other team is doing some good stuff too. But we think there's more to be had there. We can do a better job shooting the puck, shooting through structure, and tonight it didn't go our way. We'll go back to the drawing board and we're prepared to regroup and head home to friendly confines in Edmonton."
Woodcroft on handling the surges in momentum that the Avalanche used in the second period:
"I think it starts with the shift after a goal. When we score the goal or whether the other team scores a goal, it's an important shift that next shift; so the ability to win a faceoff, establish a forecheck, and then there are just little things that go into the chances that we gave up."
Woodcroft on the production of the Oilers top forwards through the first two games:
"We did some things to move some chess pieces around, and I wouldn't point to one or two people. I would point to our team. We didn't do enough to make it hard on the opposing goaltender. We had some chances, but not nearly enough for this time of year."
Woodcroft on Landeskog's hit on Yamamoto and an update on Yamamoto after he didn't return to the game in the third period:
"I thought a player was in a vulnerable position. I thought the angle of the check and the principal point of contact was the head. It's not my call, I don't referee the games, and I've said this ad nauseum in the playoffs that my job is to coach and not to make the calls. I'm sure the necessary people at the league will look at that hit."
Woodcroft on his assessment of Darnell Nurse and where the defender's at right now:
"He's giving us everything he has. Giving us everything he has. He's a true warrior and as a team, we can be better."
Woodcroft on MacKinnon's 11 shots and what needs to be done to stop him:
"I actually thought the Kadri line was the one that was more productive for them. That's not taking anything away from 29's shots on net total. It'd be interesting to see how many of those were on the powerplay. We were short seven times."
Woodcroft on the biggest worry being giving up self-inflicted goals:
"No. I think the thing that we're worried about is the fact that we didn't win the game tonight. But as I said, we've come to a building on the road, we didn't win, and now it's on us to go home, regroup, clearly look at the things we can be better at and go out and execute on home ice."