EDMONTON, Alberta – Colorado Avelanch swept Edmonton from the Western Conference finals in Game 4 on Monday, beating the Oilers 6-5 after extra time to win the best of seven of the series 4-0.
Colorado qualifies for the Stanley Cup final, where it will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers. New York leads this series 2-1. This will be Avalanche’s first appearance in the final round since 2001.
Edmonton had their chances to stay alive in Game 4, squandering two leads with a few goals. The Oilers took a 4-2 lead in the middle of the third period, only to allow three straight to attacking Avalanche. Zack Cassian tied the game 5-5 at the end of the regulation to force overtime, where Arthur Lekonen ended Edmonton’s hopes for a possible offer for the Cup final with the winning goal.
Colorado was the one to score the first goal with a powerful game by Cale McCarthy. This was Makar’s fifth goal in the post-season and his first of five points in match 4.
The match remained 1-0 until the middle of the second. At this point, Edmonton was defeated 21-12, as goalkeeper Mike Smith again kept the Oilers in the game early.
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Zack Hyman finally won under heavy pressure from the Oilers in late Colorado, defeating Colorado goalkeeper Paul Francois to give Edmonton life.
The Oilers scored two shortly thereafter, first with Ryan Newgent-Hopkins on a turnaround in Colorado, and then with Connor McDavid’s marker.
Leon Dreisitl assisted McDavid’s goal, although he appeared to have suffered an injury earlier in the second. Oilers’ best player was not nearly 100% healthy in the postseason and he worked to the bench in agony after a blow at the end of the second period. However, Draisaitl refused to leave the game and barely missed a substitution before adding an assistant to McDavid’s goal. And it wasn’t over yet.
Draisaitl generated another assist in Hyman’s second goal, the third in the third period. Edmonton started the frame ahead 3-1, while Devon Toews scored in 31 seconds to make it 3-2. The Oilers lingered, and Dreisyle fed Hyman to quickly regain Edmonton’s two-goal lead.
Colorado lost 4-2, but it wouldn’t last long. In the middle of the third attempt to clear Smith hit a judge and stayed in the Oilers area to create a quick result from Gabriel Landeskog.
Then, after another unsuccessful game by the Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon jumped into the game and shot the equalizer past Smith to make the score 4-4 with six minutes before the game in the rules.
Miko Rantanen led Colorado 5-4 with a goal in a powerful game right after. Edmonton responded by combining McDavid and Drysight to equalize Cassian’s goal afterwards. Draisaitl finished with four points and McDavid with three.
Lekonen needed only 1:19 in the extra frame to mark the winner of the match, finishing his night by three points.
Avalanche have played for the Cup twice in their franchise history, winning both series. In 1996, they defeated the Florida Panthers. In 2001, they outlived the New Jersey Devils.
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