Colorado Avalanche advance, Ducks pressure Oilers
- Colorado swept Los Angeles out of the first round Sunday, winning Game 4 5-1 behind Nathan MacKinnon’s two goals and one assist. - Anaheim beat Edmonton 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 when Ryan Poehling scored at 2:29, leaving the Oilers down 3-1. - Pittsburgh’s 3-2 Game 5 win cut Philadelphia’s series lead to 3-2 Monday. (nhl.com)
Colorado moved on first, and Anaheim made sure Edmonton did not get any breathing room. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The Avalanche finished a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Kings with a 5-1 win in Game 4 on Sunday, becoming the second team to reach the second round. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, and Gabriel Landeskog had two assists. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) Colorado’s defense barely bent in the series. The Avalanche allowed five total goals in four games, and Cale Makar, MacKinnon and Landeskog all finished the clincher with multiple points. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) Anaheim’s result was tighter and louder. Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into overtime for a 4-3 Ducks win in Game 4 on Sunday, pushing Edmonton to a 3-1 series deficit. (nhl.com) (nhl.com) The Ducks got there after trailing 3-1 in the second period. Tristan Jarry made 34 saves in his first playoff start for Edmonton, but Anaheim still took control of the series heading to Game 5. (nhl.com) (nhl.com) The other first-round series in focus did not end Monday. Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 3-2 in Game 5 on Kris Letang’s go-ahead goal, trimming the Flyers’ lead to 3-2 after Philadelphia opened with three straight wins. (nhl.com) (nhl.com) That leaves Colorado waiting on the Dallas-Minnesota winner, Anaheim one win from eliminating Edmonton, and Philadelphia still trying to close out Pittsburgh. Tuesday’s schedule listed Ducks-Oilers Game 5 in Edmonton and Wild-Stars Game 5 in Dallas. (nhl.com) (nhl.com)
