DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche couldn’t discover their stride within the first interval, skating with extra warning than confidence.
After intermission, they flipped a swap to swagger mode. They performed extra just like the model that earned a Stanley Cup title final season.
Devon Toews scored with 7:01 remaining to finish Colorado’s rally from two targets down because the Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on Thursday night time to even their first-round sequence at a recreation apiece.
Trailing 2-0 within the second interval, Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin scored 48 seconds aside to tie the sport. It set the stage for Toews, who knocked in a rebound for the Avalanche. It was Toews’ first profession profitable objective within the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“When we’re playing like that, I don’t know many teams that can beat us,” defenseman Avalanche Bowen Byram stated.
Justin Schultz and Brandon Tanev scored for a Kraken crew that once more obtained off to a flying begin after profitable 3-1 in Game 1.
PHOTOS: Toews scores winner, Avs rally to tie sequence with Kraken
“We have to manage the game a little bit better, knowing what to do and slow the game down a little bit and go back to our roots, what works for us,” Seattle ahead Yanni Gourde defined. “When we do that, we’re a pretty successful group. We don’t have to chase the game. We don’t have to change the way we play. We just go back to what we do and we should be OK.”
Alexandar Georgiev was examined all night time and completed with 27 saves. One of his high stops was within the closing seconds of the second interval with Seattle on a 3-on-1 break. A move was despatched over to Jordan Eberle, however a sprawled-out Georgiev prevented the rating together with his prolonged proper leg.
“He was exceptional the whole night,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar stated of his goaltender.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven sequence is Saturday in Seattle, the place the constructing will probably be rocking for the Kraken’s inaugural house postseason recreation.
“Going to be awesome,” Gourde stated. “Super excited.”
Philipp Grubauer stopped 38 photographs in opposition to his former crew. He spent three seasons in Colorado earlier than signing with Seattle previous to the 2021-22 season.
The Avalanche vowed to play with extra depth and extra resolve in Game 2. But it was the Kraken who managed the early tempo. Seattle’s protection discovered a solution to comprise Nathan MacKinnon and his speedy forged – till the second interval.
That’s when Colorado hit its stride. Lehkonen and Nichushkin re-energized the capability crowd by scoring 48 seconds aside. Last season, Lehkonen performed a job in a two-goal spurt over a 15-second span when he and Josh Manson scored in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
“We were pressing a little bit and once we got that first one, we took a deep breath, got the second one quickly and after that just kept rolling,” Avalanche ahead Evan Rodrigues stated. “We fed off the crowd and started to play a lot more simple.”
For the second straight recreation, the Kraken scored early. This time, it was the results of a 2-on-1 break the place Schultz despatched the puck by way of the pads of Georgiev. The Kraken have been 32-7-3 within the common season when scoring first.
Tanev added a short-handed objective to make it 2-0 after which blew a kiss to the gang.
Any specific purpose why?
“No,” Tanev stated.
As for shedding the two-goal lead, Tanev stated it’s about managing these momentum shifts.
“They’ve got some really good players on their team and when you give time and space and opportunities for them to get up the ice, they’re going to capitalize,” Tanev stated.
INJURIES, INJURIES
The accidents proceed to pile up for the Avalanche with defenseman Jack Johnson and ahead Andrew Cogliano sidelined for a second straight recreation. Midway by way of the third interval, Lars Eller slammed into the boards and struggled to get to the bench.
Colorado used 43 completely different gamers within the common season, essentially the most in a season because the Avalanche moved to city earlier than the 1995-96 season. One of the most important absences has been captain Gabriel Landeskog, who hasn’t performed all yr as a result of a knee damage.
AROUND THE RINK
Both groups have been 0 for two on the facility play. … Gourde had two assists. … The groups mixed for 90 hits.
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