The last time the Avalanche closed out a series at home, Captain Joe Sakic faced off against a baby-faced Brent Burns in a Wild jersey. It's been nearly two decades since Avs fans have blown the roof off at Ball Arena to celebrate a series win. After Wednesday night’s heroic win, dare I say, it was worth the wait.
The Avalanche allowed four goals in the opening period of Game 5, but with one being disallowed, they entered the second period down a slightly more manageable 3-0. As Nathan MacKinnon said, “It's a long time for someone to hold a lead over us.” No surprise, he was right. The Avs trailed by two goals with just over four minutes left in the game; Jack Drury brought the Avs within one before we pulled the goalie, and then two minutes later, with an empty net, MacKinnon did MacKinnon things and tied the game with a goal for the ages. The game went into overtime, and after a late comeback like that, there was only one way the game could end: with an Avalanche victory. After Marty Necas danced around the ice, he found trade deadline acquisition, Brett Kulak, open, and Kulak sailed it past Wallstedt. Just like that, The Wall of St. Paul had fallen. The Avs would not be joining the Wild in a return to Minnesota for Game 6; instead, they are going to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022.
While the Avs took care of business in a gentlemanly fashion, the Wild did not go easily, but, like in the previous series, the Avs found a way to win when they needed to. For two teams with top defenders like Makar and Quinn, both teams had serious lapses in defense. In Game 1, the Avs allowed six goals; thankfully, the Avs scored nine. Yes, that’s right, the final score was 9-6, which sounds like a Broncos score from two years ago, rather than an NHL game.
The Avs took a commanding two-game series lead, winning both games at home. The last time the Avs played Minnesota, we also had a 2-0 lead and ended up losing the series in seven. That was MacKinnon’s rookie year, but MacKinnon is a seasoned veteran now, and despite losing Game 3 in Minnesota, the Avs bounced back with a solid Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead, and as we all know, the rest is literally Avalanche playoff history.
After the jubilation of last week, the Avs are back to business on Wednesday and will now take on the Vegas Golden Knights. The Avalanche have taken a stronghold in both series, having lost only one game in the playoffs so far, but we are only halfway to the finish. The road now goes through a veteran Vegas team that has a similar championship pedigree to the Avs, having won it in 2023. While the Knights weren’t exactly golden during the regular season, they still managed to win their division with a newly hired head coach, John Tortorella, and they found a late-season spark that has carried them through two playoff rounds. The Avs were 2-0-1 in their three regular season meetings, but Vegas’s past playoff success can’t be overlooked. They still have 11 players on their roster from their 2023 championship, but they may have to continue to play without their captain, Mark Stone, who didn’t play in Game 6 against the Ducks with a lower-body injury. However, former Leaf, Mitch Marner, leads the league in playoff points (18), Pavel Dorofeyev in goals (9), and Jack Eichel in assists (14). Even minus a captain, they pose a potentially greater threat than Minnesota.
Neither the Avs nor Vegas has had much to show in the postseason after their championship run, and whoever reigns victorious in this round will be four wins closer to hoisting another Stanley Cup in under five years.
While Vegas is no doubt a worthy opponent, the Avs have proved that they have been on top of the league all season for a reason. The recent comeback win quintessentially shows the Avalanche's resilience. Even when we are down, we’re not out. Every line can roll, and just like being caught in the waves, just when you think you can breathe, you look back, and another one is coming. The Avalanche have earned their namesake, and that’s why, even if it takes a couple extra games, we will all be singing in the tune of the King himself, “Vivaaaaa NOT Vegas” are going to the Stanley Cup Final.