Only one team in NHL history — 1945 Red Wings — has won a Stanley Cup semifinal after losing the first two games at home, and that's what the Avalanche face now, after the Golden Knights scored three times int he third period to complete the mini-sweep at Ball Arena in Denver.
Ross Colton gave the the Avs the lead late in the first period and they held it until Jack Eichel scored just his second of the playoffs at the 9:15 mark of the third, beating Scott Wedgewood far side from the right circle, then Ivan Barbashev scored the game-winner just over two minutes later on a short-side snipe over Wedgewood's right shoulder.
My take: Wedgewod hasn't been the best. He was way off his angle on the Eichel goal. Do the Avs miss Cale Makar, who's missed both games in the series? Sure, it's obvious he's absent. Should it have prevented them from winning at least a game at home? No. Carter Hart is playing well for Vegas — outplaying Wedgewood, for sure — making 29 saves for the win.
THE ASYLUM
Avs face daunting history
Only one team in NHL history — 1945 Red Wings — has won a Stanley Cup semifinal after losing the first two games at home, and that's what the Avalanche face now, after the Golden Knights scored three times int he third period to complete the mini-sweep at Ball Arena in Denver.
Ross Colton gave the the Avs the lead late in the first period and they held it until Jack Eichel scored just his second of the playoffs at the 9:15 mark of the third, beating Scott Wedgewood far side from the right circle, then Ivan Barbashev scored the game-winner just over two minutes later on a short-side snipe over Wedgewood's right shoulder.
My take: Wedgewod hasn't been the best. He was way off his angle on the Eichel goal. Do the Avs miss Cale Makar, who's missed both games in the series? Sure, it's obvious he's absent. Should it have prevented them from winning at least a game at home? No. Carter Hart is playing well for Vegas — outplaying Wedgewood, for sure — making 29 saves for the win.
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