It’s not over yet.
After taking the lead three times in regulation, only to give it up each time, it seemed like the Avs season was destined to end on Monday night. Gabriel Landeskog wasn’t going to let that happen. The Avs leader found himself alone in front after stopping the Cale Makar pass in overtime and put the puck past Martin Jones, sending this series to a Game 7 with a 4-3 win at Pepsi Center. This resilient Avs team continues to find ways to win critical games.
The series now shifts back to San Jose on Wednesday night where the Avs will look to win and advance to their first Western Conference Finals since 2002. Game 7 will start at 7 PM MST and can be seen on NBC Sports Network.
What did we learn?
- J.T. Compher came up big when the team needed a depth player to step up. The Chicago native, who has scored some massive goals for the Avs this season, had his best game of the playoffs. He initiated physical play from the drop of the puck and played a role in all three of the Avs goals in regulation. He was calm, cool, and collected after the game like he had been there before, but helped the Avs force a Game 7, something he and many of his teammates have never been a part of.
- Derick Brassard finally made an impact. The trade deadline acquisition has been a massive disappointment offensively, but seemed to come alive in the third period. He picked up the primary assist on Compher’s second goal and showed some confidence trying to skate through the the Sharks defense moments later. He’s one of the few Avs players who has been here before so a big game from him on Wednesday night would go a long way in helping the team.
- The Avs dressed 11 forwards and 7 defenseman in hopes of playing MacKinnon more, and they did exactly that. The star forward didn’t register a point and was -2, but managed to play over 25 minutes in regulation and finished with 26:32, easily the most on the Avs.
- Tyson Jost is finally being rewarded for his hard work throughout the postseason. The young forward has been playing well but has struggled to find his name on the scoresheet for most of the playoffs. However, he now has two goals in the last two games and is seeing his ice time elevated. Jost had a disappointing sophomore campaign but has shown some promise in the playoffs that hopefully will continue.
- The Captain finally got his. After a long bout of frustration, Gabriel Landeskog picked up his first goal since Game 2 and couldn’t have picked a better time to do it. The Swede has had several big chances but just had not been able to bury any until he found himself alone in front of the net in overtime. You need your leaders to step up and Landeskog is leading his team to back to California.