EDMONTON, Alberta — The commitment to its “next-man-up” philosophy helped the Avalanche get within a victory of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals here Saturday night.
J.T. Compher replaced the injured Nazem Kadri as Colorado’s second-line center and came through with the most important goal of Game 3 against Edmonton in the Western Conference finals at Rogers Place.
Compher jumped out of the penalty box, won a puck battle on the Oilers’ blue line, and wristed a shot past goalie Mike Smith to break a 2-2 tie with 7:18 remaining in the third period. Mikko Rantanen added an empty-net goal in the final minute for a 4-2 victory and a 3-0 series lead.
