DENVER (AP) – Tyler Bozak and St. Louis Blues experienced almost every emotion you can imagine during a victory game or the end of a season in which they were three goals behind.
In the end, they came to this incredible – enthusiasm.
Bozak scored 3:38 after extra time and the Blues repelled the elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, overcoming two deficits in a 5-4 victory over Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
Bozak, the center of the fourth line, fired a shot near the blue line that passed Darcy Kuemper, completing a remarkable return to St. Louis.
“It was an amazing hockey game,” Bozak said. I’m sure everyone who watched thought the same thing.
Robert Thomas scored two goals, including a 56-second draw at the end of the rules, for a steady blue team. This is the last equalizer for the Blues when they face elimination, according to NHL statistics. Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Folk also scored, Nick Lady made four assists and Pavel Buchnevich two.
They never doubted – even 3-0 late in the second period and 4-3 late in the third.
“You have nothing to lose, you can throw everything away,” Thomas said. That was our mentality.
The comeback offset a hat-trick by Nathan McKinnon, who looked as if he had just turned into a landmark moment with goal number 3. 4-3 lead. It was his second hat-trick in his career since the season.
The hats hit the ice.
“It doesn’t matter,” McKinnon said of his feat. “I’m looking for victory.”
Thomas caught up with Husse on the bench for an extra skater, setting the stage for Bozak, who played college hockey down the road at the University of Denver.
Come to think of it, he didn’t play much in the third period, with the Blues only dropping three lines. When he gets his chance at OT, he makes the most of it.
“There’s definitely no such thing as a bad hit,” Bozak said. “So I just tried to get him through the traffic and he came in. So that’s great.
Game 6 is Friday in St. Louis.
The Blues have amassed a 3-1 deficit to take a playoff series twice in their history – 1999 against Phoenix and 1991 against Detroit.
They want to write another chapter.
“This team has lagged behind in matches this year, so they are not giving up,” said Blues coach Craig Berube.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog also scored, and Bowen Bayram made two assists for Avalanche, who were on track to qualify for the Western Conference final for the first time since 2002.
Instead, they have to wait – and wonder. The second round turned out to be a big obstacle for Avalanche. They have been eliminated at this stage in each of the last three post-seasons.
“You breathe for three minutes and move on. As simple as that, “Landeskog said. “This is playoff hockey. It shouldn’t be easy. “
Husso made 30 saves for St. Louis. He took over in Game 3 when Jordan Binington was injured after a clash between Nazem Kadri and Blues defender Kale Rosen, which caused Kadri to clash in Binington.
Kadri then received racist death threats on social media, which led to increased security to protect him. He answered in match 4 with a hat trick. On Wednesday, fans held signs next to the board reading “Stand with Naz.”
Kumper stopped 25 shots.
MacKinnon came out flying in the first period, making five shots and scoring twice to give Colorado a 2-0 lead in the start. These were the first two goals in the series for McKinnon, who has seven in the postseason.
The fast McKinnon also had an assist that gave him 82 points in the playoffs of his career. He became the fourth player in the history of the franchise with 80 or more points after the season, joining the company of Sakic (188), Peter Forsberg (159) and Peter Stastney (81).
After Landeskog made 3-0 a little more than 4 minutes in the second period, Tarasenko scored his first goal of the series 10 1/2 minutes later to give the Blues a boost.
“We got a little on our heels,” said McKinnon, whose team is 4-0 away in these playoffs. “It simply came to our notice then. … Win third, go to the conference finals, whatever. It’s a period. We must continue our game, stay aggressive. We will do that. “
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