LOS ANGELES \u2013 The fans who say you can\u2019t pass the puck into the back of the net were proven wrong by the Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t Colorado\u2019s best performance of the series. In fact, it might have been their least complete. That ultimately did not matter, as they walked away with a 4-2 win in Los Angeles, giving them a commanding 3-0 series lead. The game-winning goal came off the stick of Artturi Lehkonen, although he didn\u2019t exactly mean to put it in the back of the net himself.<\/p>\n
While shorthanded, Lehkonen and Logan O\u2019Connor broke away on a 2-on-1 with Adrian Kempe back defending. Lehkonen tried to pass it to O\u2019Connor, but his pass hit Kempe\u2019s skate and went directly through Forsberg\u2019s legs, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead at that time. After another 6-on-4 for the Kings, their second of the series, Brock Nelson sealed the game, putting the puck into the empty net to restore Colorado\u2019s two-goal lead.<\/p>\n
Lehkonen\u2019s goal wasn\u2019t the only one that wasn\u2019t intentionally put into the net. Gabriel Landeskog\u2019s goal, the first that the Avalanche have scored in the first period this series, saw Landeskog just toss the puck in the general vicinity of the net. It went wide but bounced so hard off the boards that it hit Forsberg\u2019s foot and went into the net.<\/p>\n
On a night when the Avalanche weren\u2019t at their best, bounces like that were welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some times where you don\u2019t get bounces like that. Tonight, it was a good start to the game. Definitely gave a little bit of a jolt to us,\u201d Cale Makar said after the game.<\/p>\n
The star on this night was, again, Scott Wedgewood. Los Angeles came out flying, playing its best period of the series in the first, but Wedgewood stood tall in net, stopping all 12 shots they took.<\/p>\n
Josh Manson took just one shift over the final 40 minutes of the game after exiting with an upper-body injury, leaving the Avalanche with just five defensemen most of the night. Those five defensemen left did a heck of a job to close out the game, which their goaltender appreciated.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnbelievable,\u201d Wedgewood said. \u201cJust with the pace of it and all the forechecks and picking up rims, we got a good strctured game plan back there. They were smart \u2026 it sucks going down a guy, especially when they\u2019re going to push in the third period, but couldn\u2019t be prouder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that the Avalanche are up 3-0 in the series, yet Makar, Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon have combined for just three points. That will have to change as they go deeper in the playoffs, but they\u2019re showing they can win in different ways right now.<\/p>\n
Avalanche 4, Kings 2<\/p>\n
What happened: Colorado is proving it can win ugly consistently<\/p>\n
What went right: You didn\u2019t see 41-year-old Brent Burns throw his body around much during the regular season, but it looks like he was saving it for the postseason. He\u2019s been a monster for Colorado and has thrown more hits in these three games than he did all season.<\/p>\n
What went wrong: Josh Manson left and did not return, leaving the Avalanche to play most of the game with five defensemen. His absence would leave a hole on the blue line in terms of physicality.<\/p>\n
Avalanche goal scorers: Landeskog (2), Makar (1), Lehkonen (2), Nelson (1)<\/p>\n
Kings goal scorers: Moore (1), Kempe (1)<\/p>\n
Between the pipes: Wedgewood finished with 24 saves.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next: Game 4 between these teams is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
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