New York. The Colorado Avalanche had two Stanley Cup Final wins.
They didn’t withstand the same offensive display in tonight’s duel against Edmonton, but it wasn’t necessary either because they completely shut out Conor McDavid & Co. – and in the penalty area, reserve goalkeeper Pavel Francoz kept a clean sheet.
– I get goosebumps, says the 31-year-old Czech as both Denvers chant “Frankie, Frankie, Frankie” after the 4-0 win on the ball field.
This is the main lesson after the two preliminary rounds of the Western Conference Final.
Colorado Avalanche can win Edmonton Oilers in many different ways.
On Tuesday, they beat the show’s Wild Wild West 8-6 – and last night they turned the taps off and completely shut down the opponent’s offensive stars and won 4-0.
Our focus, our accuracy in every detail, that was exactly what we were looking for, says Nazim Qadri, responsible for three assists during a sequence in the second half when the home goals suddenly collapsed.
We did a great job defensively and then Frankie made some crucial saves.
Frankie, yes. In the absence of injured first choice Darcy Comber, 31-year-old Czech Pavel Francoz took charge in the avalanche’s territory – and it worked. He stopped 24 rounds and kept a clean sheet.
No wonder fans at the Ball Arena during the third period chanted his name — “Frankie, Frankie, Frankie” — and it rattled into the wall panels.
– How did you feel? Some things are hard to explain, he said at his press conference after the last reference, but I still got goosebumps.
The streak of matches now continues in Edmonton and there the Oilers must somehow fight back unconditionally – or else the final conference could be over in a jiffy.
“We love to play in our hall and we’ll be much better there,” Conor McDavid says.
Gabriel Landskog helped out last night, while Andrei Burakowski was sitting in the stands – he may have hurt one foot after a covered shot in the first game.
The third round of the series will be decided the night before Sunday.