The Colorado Avalanche won the first game in the final series of the NHL Western Conference 8–6 in the Edmonton Oilers.
1.6. 08:45 • Updated June 1.6. 09:02
The Colorado Avalanche started their NHL semi-finals victoriously, beating the Edmonton Oilers 8–6 (3–2.3–2, 2–2) at home. More goals in this late playoff phase have only been seen twice: in 1985 in the conference final between Edmonton and Chicago and in 1973 in the Stanley Cup final between Chicago and Montreal.
Coloradon Mikko Rantanen summed up the powers of 1 + 1 in the match. Rantanen baited with force Nazem Kadrin 4–2 hit and finished the fifth goal of Avalanche himself. Nathan Mackinnon (1 + 1) weighed from the corner of Edmonton into the blue line and fed the puck to Rantanen’s shoulder, which was able to shoot freely from the b-point into the puck’s backpack. Also Artturi Lehkonen scored by Rantanen. The goal was second to Rantanen in the spring playoffs.
Cale Makar was the best scorer in Colorado. He scored one goal and scored two assists. Edmonton Connor McDavid was the most powerful of his own team with the same powers.
The first batch progressed steadily. The second round started with the Colorado 3–2 lead.
In the second installment, the Edmonton goalkeeper Mikko Koskinen got into real action when Colorado cannoned the Oilers ’number one guard Mike Smith exchange. Avalanche scored three goals in six minutes at the start of the second round. As Koskisen skated between the poles in 26.20, Colorado led the match 6–3.
Colorado also had to change the goalkeeper when Darcey Kuemper was injured almost immediately after the Edmonton goalkeeper change. Instead of skating Pavel Francouz.
Koskinen played with a goal and scored only one goal. With the help of Koskisen’s defenses, Edmonton had already risen to the end of the goal to a score of 7–6 and sought equalization without a goalkeeper. Gambling retaliated as the Captain of Colorado Gabriel Landeskog finished the final scores to an empty goal.