Colorado Avalanche Advance to the Stanley Cup Final

The Colorado Avalanche are advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2001. After years of frustration of not playing to their full potential, they’ve officially won the West and will be playing for the prized possession against the 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. Both squads have put together an incredible run up to this point.

Colorado had to face-off against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals after a tough 2^nd round against the Blues. Game 1 was nothing short of hectic, with both clubs going toe to toe on the scoresheet. The Final score was 8-6 where Colorado was able to get the best of the road team. Evander Kane set the tone scoring early in the 1^st, but it was quickly wiped away by J.T. Compher to tie the game at 1. Nathan MacKinnon, continuing his mission, scored to take their first lead of the series. Zach Hyman went on to respond late in period, but once again ruined by a controversial goal by Cale Makar, that ultimately stood to take the lead heading into the locker room. Kadri then added to the advantage 32 seconds into the 2^nd period to keep the momentum alive. Ryan McLeod of the Oilers potted his 2^nd of the postseason to present to the fans a one-goal affair. Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher, and Andrew Cogliano all exploded for the Avs offense to take a 7-4 lead. Connor McDavid gave his team life by finding the back of the net before the final frame of action. Derek Ryan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins both scored in the 3^rd period to get the Oiler within one goal away from tying. The Oiler offense gave it all they had, although ultimately would fall short after an empty net goal by Gabriel Landeskog.

Adjustments were made in game 2 by both clubs to limit the number of goals that their opponents could obtain. After a non-stop action in game 1, no goals were existent in the 1^st period. However, the 2^nd period was filled with 3-quick strikes by the Avs. Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson, and Mikko Rantanen all scored in just less than 3 minutes. Nazem Kadri assisted on all 3 conversions. The game remained scoreless until late in the 3^rd period when Nathan MacKinnon scored to make it 4-0. Pavel Francouz was in net for the Avalanche and recorded a shutout in place of the injured Darcy Kuemper. A commanding 2-0 series lead was held by the team in the Mile High City.

Game 3 was in front of the Orange Crush in Edmonton. Connor McDavid wasted almost no time and scored 38 seconds into the game. Edmonton was dominating the play, but they couldn’t convert on the opportunities keeping the Avs in the game. Nazem Kadri in a dangerous play, unfortunately broke his thumb after a hit from behind by Evander Kane. He would go on to miss the remainder of the series and potentially more. After these moments, Val Nichushkin continued to prove his value by tying the game up. The Chu Chu train continued to run in the 2^nd period to grab the Avs the lead. Ryan McLeod potted one in the 3^rd period to energize Rogers Place. It was then silenced after J.T. Compher scored his 5^th of the playoffs to give his club the lead late in the 3rd. Mikko Rantanen put the game on ice with the empty net tally. A 3-0 nothing lead was presented in the series.

Game 4 was another exciting one. Cale Makar on the powerplay got the Avs off and running with the only goal in the 1^st period. The Oiler came out firing in the 2^nd recording 3 unanswered goals. Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Connor McDavid gave the Oiler fans hope heading into the 3^rd period. Devon Toews right away in the period scored 31 seconds in to give the Avalanche some life. Zach Hyman tried to shut it down after he scored his 2^nd goal of the game to make it a 2-goal lead again. An uphill battle, but the Avs were determined to clinch. Gabriel Landeskog snatched a greasy goal for his 8^th of the postseason. Nathan MacKinnon once again with an incredible goal made it even. Colorado then got a powerplay where they converted on to take the improbable 5-4 lead with less than 6 minutes remaining. The scrappy Oilers slammed one up late to force overtime for the first time in the series. Colorado unleashed an offensive assault on the opposition. Darren Helm off the draw to Makar fires one towards the net where it is deflected in front of Mike Smith and Artturi Lehkonen for the second straight year sends his team to the Stanley Cup Final in overtime. An ecstatic Avs team celebrated on the ice as they were being sent to the Stanley Cup Finals.

An unbelievable season by this club after continuing to be resilient throughout the entire year. After all the trades, injuries, and adversity, this team has punched their ticket to the finals. All the stars have been incredible along with the depth of the team to make this a successful run so far. This isn’t the goal, but it is a huge step towards what they want. Cale Makar has continued to play well as he posted 9 points in this latest sweep. This stat line has only occurred 4 times and he has done it twice this postseason. Nathan MacKinnon has also been brilliant with 11 goals and 7 assists. The captain Landeskog has also been an enormous difference maker with 17 points. The list goes on and on with the number of contributions. Unfortunately, Nazem Kadri could potentially miss the final, but he remains optimistic to return. Andrew Cogliano could be missing as well.

No matter who’s on the ice though, the Bolts will be a difficult task to defeat. They’ve won 11 straight playoff series with plenty of stars that have stayed with the Club throughout their previous runs. Andrei Vasilevskiy will be a tough goalie to score on as he has been known as a top 3 goalie for many years in the league. He also has the potential to steal multiple games, even if the Lightning don’t play their best. He has as save percentage of .928 which is elite. Their other stars include Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and plenty of others. They’ve played great as a team and will match-up well with the Avs. Kucherov has 23 points thus far and Hedman has had 22. Brayden Point, another key player, has missed two straight series but could return at some point in the finals.

It’ll be an incredible Stanley Cup Finals which will start at Ball Arena 8 EST on Wednesday. Game 2 will be Saturday before heading on over to Tampa Bay. It could be one for the ages. 

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