Well, Game 1 of the Western Conference final certainly didn’t lack in excitement.Â
The Colorado Avalanche managed to hang on to win a wild opening contest of round three, beating the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 8-6 to take a 1-0 series lead.Â
This game had everything: 14 combined goals, four combined goaltenders, and a confounding goal review that assuredly taught those watching at home a brand new facet of the NHL’s ever-evolving offside rule.Â
It was truly a spectacle to behold — just as many hoped it would be.Â
As was also the case in round two, Mike Smith failed to make it through the opening game of the series once again, surrendering six goals on 25 shots before being pulled for Mikko Koskinen midway through the second period.Â
Koskinen certainly fared a bit better than his Oilers’ counterpart, turning aside 20 of the 21 shots he faced through to the final horn, but ultimately not being enough to propel the Oilers to victory.Â
Over on the other side of the ice, the Avalanche found themselves dealing with a goaltending catastrophe of their own, as starter Darcy Kuemper left the game not too long after Smith did with a lower-body injury and was quickly ruled out from returning. Kuemper had a rocky start in his own right, as well, allowing three goals on 16 shots before his injury. So, in stepped Pavel Francouz as his replacement, with the 31-year-old stopping 18 of the 21 shots he faced to just barely give the Avalanche a safe landing.Â
Offensively, all the usual suspects showed up for both teams.Â
Connor McDavid continued his torrid scoring pace with a three-point night, while Leon Draistaitl chipped in two assists, and Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put forth identical one goal and one assist stat lines to lead the way.Â
The Avalanche saw their big guns firing on all cylinders, too, as Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen each scored one goal and assisted on another, while Cale Makar paired his own goal with two assists of his own.Â
If Game 1 was any indication, this is bound to be a dazzling series. You won’t want to miss it.Â
