Pent-up anger might have steered the Avalanche in a healthy direction Monday night.
Avs second-year forward violently slashed a metal trash can after Colorado’s Game 5 loss at the SAP Center on Saturday, pushing Colorado to the brink of elimination. And Avs left wing and team captain Gabe Landeskog had just one goal in the series, back in Game 2.
On Monday in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal series, Compher was the player of the game and Landeskog the ultimate hero in the Avs’ 4-3 overtime victory that tied the series 3-3 and forced a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night (7 p.m. MT, NBCSN) in San Jose, Calif.
“It was a huge effort by our team tonight,” Compher said.
Compher had two goals and an assist in regulation before scored 2:32 into OT. Landeskog was minus-3 along with linemates and before scoring the winner by slapping at a loose puck in front of the goal-mouth.
Landeskog began the play by chipping the puck deep in the offensive zone and then crushing defenseman Erik Karlsson on the forecheck against the boards. The puck ended up on Cale Makar’s stick at the point, and his shot on goalie Martin Jones served as the game-winning assist.
“It sucks being on the ice for goals-against but sometimes the bounces go against you and sometimes they go with you,” Landeskog said. “I’m glad the last bounce was with us tonight.”
Landeskog entered Monday with just one goal in the series, back in Game 2. He had some pent-up emotions as well.
“Every time I try to pick a corner, it hasn’t been working for me. So I just decided to whack at this one and it worked,” he said of his game-winning shot.
Colorado will be playing its first Game 7 since 2014, when it lost a first-round series at home to the . The Avs haven’t won a Game 7 since 2002 — the last time it advanced to the Western Conference final.
“It’s a huge step for our team. It’s a great opportunity for us, being 60 minutes away from the Western Conference final,” Landeskog said. “Who would have thought before the season? And who would have thought before this series or whatever? For us, we keep believing and you just got to instill that doubt in that team on the other side. At this point, I (bet) the last thing they wanted to do was go back and play another one at home in San Jose.”
Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic had two goals, the latter tying it 3-3 with 2:28 remaining in the third period. Vlasic’s shot caromed off the skate of defenseman and behind goalie Philipp Gruabauer.
Vlasic had just three goals in 72 games in the regular season and only four goals in 134 previous playoff games.
“Up to that point I think we played really good — didn’t give up too many shots and chances,” Grubauer said. “It was unfortunate but it happens. So they got lucky.”
Compher assisted on Colorado’s first goal and scored the next two, including his second at 4:00 of the third period. After being tied 2-2 entering the third period, Compher drove to the net and accepted Derick Brassard’s centering pass on his forehand, then went to his backhand to beat goalie Martin Jones for the biggest goal of his young career.
The Avs built three one-goal leads and never trailed.
“We knew it was win-or-go-home. A bunch of guys stepped up tonight — Landy in OT, guys throughout the game, Gruby all night,” Compher said. “The plan was to force Game 7. We were able to do that.”
Colorado got goals from and Compher to take leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the second period, but San Jose twice forged a tie — the latter time with just 9.8 seconds in the frame. Just 1:06 after Compher put the Avs ahead 2-1, Brent Burns drove in from the blue line, took a pass from fellow all-star defenseman Karlsson and beat Grubauer with a wrist shot.
It was not how the Avs wanted to go into the second intermission, having seen Compher’s heroics erased in the period. He assisted on Jost’s goal during a 2-on-1 rush at 4:05 and then scored with a long shot from the point at 18:44. Compher also was Colorado’s most physical forward to that point.
The Avs used a coach’s challenge to try to overturn Vlasic’s goal at 14:36 of the second period that tied it 1-1. But officials ruled Grubauer was not interfered with by Timo Meier before Vlasic’s scored.
Footnotes. The Avs were 5-14 beyond regulation in the regular season but improved to 3-0 in the playoffs. … Avs forward missed his second straight game and third of the series with an upper-body injury. Calvert suffered his injury in Game 2, absorbing a big check by Burns after delivering what turned into the game-winning assist. … The Avs introduced defenseman to the series, after making him a healthy scratch in the first five games. The Avs used an 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup and scratched forward .
