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While Colorado came out with an 8-6 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals – at one point late in the second period pushing to a four goal lead – it could end up a footnote to Darcy Kuemper’s injury by the time this series has wrapped. Kuemper was forced out with an upper-body injury in the second period, with Pavel Francouz taking over in-crease. We’ll have to wait and see on Kuemper’s status ahead of Thursday’s Game 2. If there is any soft consolation on this one, it’s that Francouz turned in respectable regular-season numbers, albeit in scattered appearances. And if we are being honest with ourselves (and you, dear reader), Kuemper has had an up-and-down postseason even as the Avalanche have reached the conference finals in impressive fashion. You never want to lose your starting netminder, but Colorado was always going to win or lose this one on team strength, rather than the strength of a star goalie — Kuemper is solid, but he’s not a world-beater. If you’re looking for the star goalie affair, the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between New York’s Igor Shesterkin and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy should do the trick and then some.
Colorado Avalanche 8 Edmonton Oilers 6
— Prior to exiting with his upper-body injury, Kuemper had yielded a pair of first-period goals to Evander Kane and Zach Hyman and an early-second-period goal to Ryan McLeod. He exited action just over seven minutes into the second period, having made 13-of-16 stops. All eyes on the injury status, here, but we’ll just leave the note that Kuemper has now given up three or more goals in four of his last six playoff starts. His absence might not hurt as much as it would outwardly seem?
— Pavel Francouz finished up making 18 stops on 21 attempts after coming into the game for Kuemper. Francouz has made just three appearances (one start) this postseason. He gave up a Kuemper-ian three goals against Nashville in aforementioned start.
— For all of the mess that was the netminding situation for Colorado, the Oilers managed to out-implode their conference final foe, with Mike Smith caving for six goals on 25 shots to nullify a six-goal offensive effort by Edmonton. Kuemper or no, this series already seems to have a “Goaltending Optional†feel. And in a series where individual offensive stardom might dwarf everything else, Edmonton has the two biggest offensive stars on the face of the planet.
— It is certainly possible that the Oilers’ not-so-secret Achilles Heel between the pipes could end up being too much even for McDavid and Draisaitl to overcome.
— Both McDavid and Draisaitl did their respective things on Tuesday, with McDavid accounting for three points (including a goal near the end of the second period which helped to keep Edmonton in the game). That gives McDavid 29 points in just 13 games this postseason.
— Draisaitl picked up two assists in a game where Edmonton lost but somehow didn’t feel like a huge loser. That comes after he posted an NHL series-record 15 assists against Calgary in the Western Semis.
— With Edmonton’s stars pushing Colorado to the brink, the Avalanche needed a superhero of their own. They got one in the person of rookie forward Cale Makar, who like McDavid picked up three points on a goal and two assists. Makar did all of his work over the first two periods to set the Avalanche up for success (even if Mike Smith nearly drove the team to a loss while working in crease). Makar had not come through with a three-point effort in the playoffs since notching three of them in Colorado’s dominant opening series against Nashville.
— J.T. Compher netted goals in the first and second periods. That gives him back-to-back two-goal showings after going the first nine games of Colorado’s postseason without putting home a single goal.
— Gabriel Landeskog finished with two points, on an assist and an empty-net goal. That empty-netter is not to be scoffed at as mere stat glorification, as it came with just over 20 seconds left in regulation and put Colorado up by an 8-6 score and essentially worked to seal the win up for the Avalanche.
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Wednesday Lookahead
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers
New York will be playing host in this one. Not that the big bad New Yorkers figure to put much of a scare into the Lightning, who scored the most impressive semifinal result in their sweep of the previously-dominant Panthers. While the Wild Wild West might as well be bereft of goaltenders between Colorado and Edmonton, the East will see a potential battle for the ages with Andrei Vasilevskiy going up against Igor Shesterkin. If that one pushes late, don’t worry; Game 2 between Colorado and Edmonton figures to give the jump of several cases of energy drinks, if Game 1 was any indication on Tuesday.
