Gabriel Landeskog puts the Avalanche one step away from advancing
May 7, 2019, 7:42 AM
It ain’t over yet. After a thrilling, overtime victory over the Sharks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Avalanche season will continue for at least one more contest, as they travel to San Jose for a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night (7:00 pm | NBCSN).
How they got to this point was a roller-coaster ride. In a game they had to have in order to extend their season, Colorado took a lead on San Jose on three different occasions. But the resilient Sharks were unfazed, quickly erasing the deficit every time.
The most-heartbreaking equalizer during the back-and-forth affair came late in the third period, when Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s shot from the left side ricocheted off the skate of Nikita Zadorov and into the net to tie the score at 3-3 with just 2:28 remaining in the game. At that point, the party that was about to take place at Pepsi Center seemed to fizzle; the atmosphere went from euphoric to deflated.
But when the teams returned to the ice for overtime, it was Colorado’s captain who saved the day. Just 2:32 into the extra period, Gabriel Landeskog slipped a shot past Martin Jones to keep the Avs dreams alive.
Second Round Game 6 | San Jose at @Avalanche
🚨 Gabriel Landeskog
— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 7, 2019
Landy became just the fifth player in Nordiques / Avalanche history to score an game-winning, overtime goal in an elimination game, joining the likes of Dale Hunter (2), Peter Stastny, Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic (2) on that exclusive list of clutch performers.
The goal not only saved Colorado’s season, it provided the captain with something positive to built off of heading into Game 7. During the season, Landeskog has struggled to scoring, netting just one goal up until last night’s game winner. And in Game 6, his line was on the ice for all three of San Jose’s goals.
“It sucks being on the ice for goals-against, but sometimes the bounces go against you and sometimes they go with you,” the captain told The Denver Post after the game. “I’m glad the last bounce was with us tonight.”
That came when Landeskog flicked the puck toward the net, hoping for a better result than he’s seen thus far against the Sharks. Finally, he found some good fortune.
“Every time I try to pick a corner, it hasn’t been working for me,” he said about previous shots, when he was trying to be perfect and precise. “So I just decided to whack at this one and it worked.”
And now, Colorado heads back to northern California, setting up a decisive game where anything can happen.
“It’s a great opportunity for us, being 60 minutes away from the Western Conference Final,” Landeskog added. “Who would have thought before the season? And who would have thought before this series?”
Now, he and his teammates are hoping the Sharks are deflated by the series going this long.
“I’ll (bet) the last thing they wanted to do was go back and play another one at home in San Jose,” Landeskog said about the Sharks. “We’ve just got to instill that doubt in that team on the other side.”
On Wednesday night, the Avs have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 17 years. Thanks to their captain, that improbable destination is only one step away.
