NHL20 Playoffs Sim Round 4, Game 2: Flames stay hot in Denver

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Calgary leads best of 7 series 2-0

Leaders:

Goals

COL: Jost (7)

CGY: Monahan (12)

Assists

COL: Rantanen (8)

CGY: Andersson (13)

Points

COL: MacKinnon (13)

CGY: Monahan (21)

Goalies

COL: Grubauer (7-4-1) 3.00 GAA .907 Sv% 1 SO

CGY: Rittich (11-3-0) 2.59 GAA .932 Sv% 2 SO

Calgary Flames 5 – Colorado Avalanche 2

Scoring

Calgary Flames

1st: 14:27- Gaudreau (8) (Lindholm [7], Jankowski [4]), 14:55- Gustafsson (1) [Monahan [9])

2nd: 15:05- Dube (6) (Ryan [7])

3rd: 0:19- Monahan (12) (Lindholm [8], Giordano [10]), 1:41- Lindholm (5) (Gaudreau [9], Brodie [9])

Colorado Avalanche

1st: 10:57- Landeskog (5) (Nichushkin [1])

2nd: None

3rd: 19:59- Burakovsky (3) (Compher [1], Calvert [4])

Recap

If you were a psychologist, Game 2 would likely show the polar effects a 12-5 game can have on a team. The Avalanche, who so easily handled the Flames last season, have been subdued dramatically by the Flames.

Calgary got off to an okay start, but found themselves down 1-0 midway through the first after a bad Rasmus Andersson turnover, which was converted by Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. The Flames wouldn’t let that remain the score, as a span of 28 seconds turned the game around.

Mark Jankowski, Elias Lindholm, and Johnny Gaudreau displayed some quick passing which culminated in Gaudreau spraying Philipp Grubauer’s water bottle all over the Pepsi centre.

Just 28 seconds later, Erik Gustafsson blasted a shot off a face-off won by Sean Monahan, and the Swedish defender scored his first career playoff goal.

The score remained much tighter than it had in Game 1, and the 2-1 deficit was only increased with 5 minutes remaining in the second period, as Dillon Dube sauntered freely in front of Grubauer and ripped home a goal in his second straight game.

The Flames would nail the Avalanche coffin shut by the time 2 minutes had passed in the third, as Sean Monahan scored on a partial break just 19 seconds into the final frame.

Then, just 1:41 into the period, Elias Lindholm buried his own rebound past Grubauer and put the game out of reach. Andre Burakovsky scored a meaningless goal with 1 second remaining, on an otherwise nearly flawless night for David Rittich.

Monahan, Dube, Gaudreau, and Lindholm all scored for the second consecutive game. Gaudreau also had an assist in this one, as his series total is now at 4 goals and 2 assists through just 2 games. The Flames top line has combined for a ridiculous 17 points in this series already.

Flame of the Game

Elias Lindholm (F): Lindholm has actually been a little bit a disappointment these playoffs, after leading the Flames in scoring through the simulated games to finish off the regular season. He had only recorded 2 goals and 7 points through the first two series (13 games), but has come alive so far in this one, putting up 3 points tonight on top of his 3 in Game 1.

Eastern Conference Final Update

Game 1: (1) Boston Bruins 7 vs (4) Philadelphia Flyers 2 (Bruins lead series 1-0)

by Gordie Taylor