3 Takeaways from the Avalanche’s 4-2 Game 3 Win Over the Kings – The Hockey Writers – Colorado Avalanche

It has been a tough slog for the Colorado Avalanche but they have managed to grind out a couple of 2-1 wins over the Los Angeles Kings. Though everyone and their mother predicted the Avalanche to win, it has not come with the level of ease that most anticipated.

Game 3 in Los Angeles was no different. The Avalanche managed to score a bit more in this one but it took a late empty net goal to hold off the Kings and walk away with a 4-2 victory. These are the most important takeaways as the Avalanche put the Kings on the brink of elimination.

Neutralizing Forsberg

Goaltending has been critical in this series and a major reason that the Kings have hung around in these games is the play of Anton Forsberg. He has been as locked in as can be, and anything that he manages to see, he stops.

Which is why the Avalanche performed so brilliantly. In addition to getting him moving laterally more often, the Avalanche bombarded him with screens and traffic in front. They made Forsberg really work to locate the puck before stopping it.

The best example came in the second period. Tied 1-1, Cale Makar danced along the blueline while Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon had screens going in front. Makar threw a seeing-eye shot toward the net that Forsberg couldn’t locate until it was already past him. It isn’t the most brilliant strategy ever, but it definitely worked for the Avalanche.

Fortunate Bounces

While the Avalanche are clearly a good team and had to earn what they got, they were benefitted by a pair of fortunate bounces that went their way. All the best teams create most of their own luck but tend to benefit at opportune times.

The first lucky bounce happened almost immediately. Gabriel Landeskog threw the puck in the general direction of the net early in the first. It caromed off the boards and hit a sprawling Forsberg’s skate before ricocheting into the net.

Similarly, Lehkonen led a 2-on-1 while shorthanded in the third period. His pass hit Adrian Kempe’s skate and through Forsberg’s five-hole to make it 3-1 Avalanche with about 12 minutes to go. They aren’t the luckiest bounces ever but they were fortunate enough to work out in the Avalanche’s favor.

Team Defense Has Been Excellent

The Avalanche have largely become known for their offensive capabilities but they are an excellent defensive team as well. In this series, they have been smothering, completely limiting the already somewhat limited Kings.

The Avalanche lost the shot battle for the first time in this series but blocked more shots (15-14) while winning the takeaway battle (4-3). They make life difficult on the Kings in terms of how much they can do in the middle of the ice, and scoring on the fringes is always harder.

A lot of people expected the Avalanche to just steamroll the offensively deficient Kings, but they’ve managed to win three games in this series now without being the offensive juggernauts they’ve typically been. That’s a huge sign of encouragement.

A Great Warmup

If anything, this has turned into an ideal warmup for the Avalanche. They got more of a test than they bargained for, a physical team with very good goaltending that has made them work for everything. When the next round comes around, the Avalanche will be fully prepared for a war and shouldn’t get caught sleeping like they may have if these games were blowouts.