Hockey

Series highlights: Artturi Lehkonen scores unusual goal in Avalanche win
Mathis Therrien
Series highlights: Artturi Lehkonen scores unusual goal in Avalanche win
Credit: It was officially playoff time yesterday, as two first-round National Hockey League series got underway. We were treated to two excellent Game #1s in these two series, which promises to keep us busy for the rest of the season. Here are the summaries of those two games. Winnipeg Jets pull through thanks to Kyle Connor […]

It was officially playoff time yesterday, as two first-round National Hockey League series got underway.

We were treated to two excellent Game #1s in these two series, which promises to keep us busy for the rest of the season.

Here are the summaries of those two games.

Winnipeg Jets pull through thanks to Kyle Connor

The NHL's best regular-season team, the Winnipeg Jets, kicked off their playoffs last night against the NHL's hottest team of late, the St. Louis Blues.

Even though Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy, we knew it would be a very tight series.

And that's exactly what both teams showed us in the first period.

The Blues opened the scoring (Robert Thomas) on the power play, but the Jets responded with a goal of their own (Mark Scheifele) on the power play.

After that, the Jets took the lead thanks to a deflection by Jaret Anderson-Dolan, but quickly, three minutes later, Oskar Sundqvist created the tie for the Blues.

It was 2-2 after one period.

In the second, the Blues quickly picked up where they left off, as on the power play, Jordan Kyrou scored his first of the playoffs with one of the most accurate shots I've ever seen.

Obviously, a Jets fightback was expected, but in the end, the Blues' lead held until midway through the third period, when Alex Iafallo, who just signed a three-year contract extension with the Jets, tied the game.

After that, everything seemed to be heading for overtime, but Kyle Connor had other plans, as he played the hero on a superb play with just over a minute to go in the third period.

The Jets won 5-3, with Adam Lowry completing the scoring in an empty net.

Game #2 of the series takes place Monday in Winnipeg, starting at 7:30pm.

The Jets lead the series 1-0.

Avalanche hits Stars hard from the start

This is the series we've all been waiting for in the West.

It's a clash of titans between two teams with a very good chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, as well as being a series that allows us to see Mikko Rantanen face his former team from this season.

In short, it's a promising series, and last night proved it.

Firstly, we were treated to an impressive goalkeeping duel throughout the first half of the game, and so, of course, it took a completely unusual goal to beat the vigilance of one of the two goalkeepers.

In the end, it was Artturi Lehkonen who opened the scoring with a completely mad goal, in which, unintentionally, he took a Lionel Messi-like shot with his skate as he fell after seeing his shot blocked.

One of the weirdest goals I've ever seen.

Anyway, the Avalanche took the lead, and before the end of the second period, Nathan MacKinnon added to his team's lead with another bizarre goal, as his power play shot deflected off Ilya Lyubushkin.

In short, the Avalanche took a 2-0 lead into the third period without dominating the game.

Of course, the Stars weren't to be counted out, and they closed the gap on the power play through Roope Hintz,

However, afterwards, the Stars were caught off-guard, costing them a fine goal from Devon Toews.

So it was too little too late for the Stars, as MacKinnon scored into an empty net, and Charlie Coyle then added insult to injury with Colorado's fifth goal.

The Avalanche thus win Game #1 of this series 5-1.

Game 2 will take place on Monday in Dallas, starting at 9:30pm.

The Avalanche lead the series 1-0.


Overtime

– Here are the two results from yesterday.

– Here are yesterday's top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– On the program today: three series begin.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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