Five years ago, I saw one of my teams win a playoff game for the first time. I've still yet to see the Avalanche win a series. That year they won the division but lost in the first round. This year they barely snuck in at the 2nd wild card in the West (read: the 8th seed). They're now sitting up 3-1 over Calgary.
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If you're a Calgary fan, you've got to be wondering how did this all go so wrong?
Game 1 was 4-0 Flames. Calgary looked like a far superior team. They had home ice. This had sweep potential.
Game 2, Calgary was up 2-1 late in the 3rd. The Avs pulled their goalie with 3 minutes to go in desperation. And JT Compher decides this would be a good time to get his first career playoff goal. It goes to OT. Nathan MacKinnon snipes the top shelf winner.
Meanwhile, the Avs #4 draft pick Cale Makar (the NCAA player of the year) just finished the Frozen Four. So he joins the Avalanche immediately. Game 3 will be his NHL debut.
Game 3 is in Denver. The Flames hit the post on an early power play. Then MacKinnon scores. MacKinnon scores again. (It's not a hat trick, but it is 3 goals in the last 15 minutes of game time, going back to Game 2's OT.) And then...Cale Makar drives in with the puck. Takes his first NHL shot. And it goes in.
He joins a list of 7 players to make their NHL debut in the playoffs and score. First defenseman. Welcome to the show. The Avs control the game, win 6-2.
Game 4. Calgary is up 2-0 in the 3rd. At this point, they seem to have the advantage in the series. Just close out a 2-0 lead and go back to Alberta with a 2-2 series tie and home ice in Games 5 and 7. Flames fans could be thinking Calgary in 6. Win at home and then close out the series in Denver, just like they won Game 4. Compher scores with 12 minutes to go to make it a 2-1 game.
Exactly like Game 2, Calgary has a 2-1 lead with 3 minutes to go. In Game 2, Colorado tied it with 2:39 to go. In Game 4, Colorado tied it with 2:50 to go. MacKinnon to Rantanen.
Free hockey. The Flames have a point blank chance to win the game but Grubauer lifts his pad to make the save.
Then Rantanen scores (back to back goals for him) to win the damn game.
Avs take a 3-1 series lead.
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I expect this series to come back to Denver. Calgary was the #1 team in the West, they had an electric atmosphere up there and with their backs against the wall, another 4-0 Flames win wouldn't surprise me.
Given that assumption...Game 6 in Colorado becomes everything. Your chance to close it out at home. If the Flames win that one, they'd have the momentum and home ice advantage in Game 7. I love the construction of 2-2-1-1-1.
The Flames could have flipped the series by getting that goal in OT. Now they're facing elimination.
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