LOS ANGELES — “Lehky” got lucky, but few players earn their breaks more than him.
Artturi Lehkonen had a shorthanded goal and set up another, while Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as the Colorado Avalanche clawed its way to another victory, 4-2, Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Avs now lead the best-of-7 series 3-0, and will go for a sweep here Sunday afternoon in Game 4.
Lehkonen led a 2-on-1 while shorthanded and tried to set up Logan O’Connor with a pass. The puck went off Adrian Kempe’s skate and between goalie Anton Forsberg’s legs for what proved to be the game-winning at 7:39 of the final period.
“I was for sure trying to pass to OC on the back side there,” Lehkonen said. “Luckily it went in. It was for sure a little bit of a different kind of goal, but I’ll take it.”
The Kings were desperate in this contest and had the more dangerous offensive chances early on. Wedgewood, who led the NHL in save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.02) during the regular season, continued his incredible run with another strong effort.
The high-flying version of the Avs has yet to arrive in this series, but the defensively-sound edition backed by strong goaltending continues to be enough against an inferior Kings club.
Lehkonen’s goal became the game winner after Los Angeles cut Colorado’s lead to 3-2 with 4:03 remaining. Adrian Kempe re-directed a shot-pass from Artemi Panarin with Jack Drury in the penalty box for the Kings’ third power-play goal in three games.
Brock Nelson ended any doubt, shooting the puck into the empty net with 2:18 remaining. Anze Kopitar, who has announced he will retire when this season ends, smashed his stick off the boards in frustration. He knows his last NHL game could be Sunday.
Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar — the three highest scorers on the highest-scoring team in the NHL this season — have one point each in this series. It has not mattered.
“Thatap how you’re going to win this time of year,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “We’re doing it as a group. Those guys are checking like dogs and working really hard, both ends of the rink. Thatap the way itap going to have to be for us to win. There’s going to be plenty of opportunities, plays that are going to have to be made, and those guys will make them.
“You see some of that tonight. Cale doesn’t score if Nate and Lehky aren’t in front of the net. Those are plays that aren’t going to show up on the score sheet but are super important this time of year.”
Cale Makar put the Avs back in front at 12:12 of the second period. Lehkonen intercepted a pass by Drew Doughty behind the L.A. net to start the play. Makar took a pass from partner Devon Toews at the left point, then danced across the top of the zone before slinging a shot through traffic for his first goal of the postseason.
Landeskog scored on the one-year anniversary of his return from a three-year absence to give the Avalanche an early lead. Nicolas Roy sent the puck towards the top of the zone and Landeskog was able to stretch and corral it near the blue line.
The Avs captain threw it back towards the Kings net. It went wide, but bounced off the end boards and hit Anton Forsberg’s skate before it crossed the goal line at 5:29 of the first. It was Landeskog’s second goal of the series, and second in as many games after he scored late in Game 2 to force overtime.
Trevor Moore scored L.A.’s first even-strength goal of the series to even the score at 5:55 of the second. It was a chaotic shift. Quentin Byfield had a chance as he drove the net a few seconds earlier, but he was the guy shoveling the puck there. Moore went to the net and the puck went off his body and in.
Josh Manson left the game with an injury earlier in the second period after Joel Edmondson checked him awkwardly into the Kings bench. He returned for one shift — he was tangled up with Moore at the net front and took a high-sticking penalty on the play. Manson did not return to the game after serving the penalty. A team spokesman said he was out with an upper-body injury.
“Unbelievable,” Wedgewood said of the defense corps playing a man down. “We’ve got a good structured game plan back there. They were smart with it. A couple chances (the Kings) did get, they only got one. I didn’t feel like they were whacking away on three or four chances or getting things back to the seam after a rebound.
“It sucks going down a guy, especially when they push in third period, things like that. But I couldn’t be prouder.”
