Tuesday night’s 14-goal opening series game between the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche offered up controversy, plenty of goals, and a goaltending change for both teams, with the Avalanche winning 8-6.
With the offensive onslaught from both teams being at the forefront of everyone’s mind ahead of the game two, which of these teams has the advantage going into Thursday night’s highly anticipated contest?
The Edmonton Oilers, that’s who.
We’ve seen this before from Connor McDavid and company, taking a series opening loss before rebounding with a win in game two. And while the Avalanche is a different beast than the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames, there’s a poise and game-to-game growth from the Oilers these playoffs that sets them apart… Oh, and did I mention that the Avs will not have their number one goalie available for game two? That’s an unfortunate situation that we must consider as well.
Let’s be clear, that’s not a dig at Darcy Kuemper. Nobody wants to see a guy go out with a potential head injury, especially not one who’s had head injuries before. Not to mention he’s been a stud for the Avalanche all season with a 37-16 regular season record and 2.65 goals against average these playoffs.
I think lack of playoff experience from Avalanche backup goalie Pavel Francouz plays a small factor, although I imagine players would say that once you’ve played your first playoff game, they’re just like any other game. His 3.34 GAA in his NHL career is something the Oilers should try and take advantage of, and with a veteran like Mike Smith expected to start for the Oilers in game two, I expect him to put his game one performance behind him and deliver a vintage-Smith performance, much like his 29-save shutout against the Kings in round one.
1-2 Punch
Did anyone forget about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with all that goalie-talk? The pair have combined for 57 points in 13 games, each recording virtually the same offensive stat lines. Despite McDavid having one more goal than Draisaitl, the two are making arguably one of the toughest sports in the world look like a children’s game.
Their Western Conference Finals opponent’s highest point scorer is a defenceman, granted he is a potential Norris Trophy winner. Though with 16 points in 11 games played, Cale Makar shouldn’t be expected to continue to lead the charge. The Avalanche need more from the trio of Nathan MacKinnon (15), Gabriel Landeskog (13), and Mikko Rantanen (13), despite the Avalanche’s team-game approach to their playoffs so far.
Edmonton certainly relies on their forwards to get it done for them these playoffs, with their top scoring defenceman, Evan Bouchard (9), sitting fifth amongst point producers for the Oilers so far.
How does it end?
In a perfect world, if McDavid, Draisaitl, Smith, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers can continue their dominant game two traditions from previous series, then fans will see an even series heading back to Edmonton.
If not, the Oilers will be in a position that neither team has had to face yet these playoffs – being down 2-0 in a series. That’s something they’ll certainly look to avoid and with Kuemper out of action with an upper-body injury, their chances of doing so increase just that little bit more.
It’s going to be an entertaining game nonetheless, so fans should just sit tight and enjoy the ride.
Andrew Stuetz