Blues stun Avs with stirring rally, win in OT
DENVER — Tyler Bozak and the St. Louis Blues experienced just about every emotion imaginable during a win-or-season-ends game in which they fell behind by three goals.
Ultimately, they landed on this improbable one: elation.
Bozak scored 3:38 into overtime as the Blues fended off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, overcoming two deficits in a 5-4 victory over top-seeded Colorado on Wednesday.
Bozak, a fourth-line center, unleashed a shot from near the blue line that got past goaltender Darcy Kuemper, capping St. Louis’ remarkable comeback.
“It was an amazing hockey game,” Bozak said. “I’m sure everyone that was watching thought the same thing.”
Robert Thomas had two goals, including the tying tally with 56 seconds left in regulation, for the Blues. It’s the latest game-tying goal for
St. Louis when facing elimination. Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Faulk also scored for the Blues, defenseman Nick Leddy had four assists, and Pavel Buchnevich added two.
They never doubted — even down 3-0 late in the second period and 4-3 late in the third.
“You’ve got nothing to lose; you might as well throw it all out there,” Thomas said. “That was our mentality.”
The comeback offset a hat trick by Nathan Mackinnon, who looked like he might have turned in a signature moment with goal No. 3. He went end to end, working around Leddy with nifty stick work and lifting a shot over goaltender Ville Husso from a sharp angle for a 4-3 lead. It was his second postseason hat trick.
Thomas tied it with Husso on the bench for an extra skater, setting the stage for Bozak, who played college hockey down the road at the University of Denver.
Bozak didn’t play much down the stretch of the third period, with the Blues rolling out just three lines. When he got his chance in OT, he made the most of it.
“There’s definitely no such thing as a bad shot,” Bozak said. “So just tried to get it through the traffic, and it went in. So that’s awesome.”
Game 6 is Friday in St. Louis.
The Blues have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a playoff series twice — in 1999 against Phoenix and 1991 versus Detroit. They’re looking to write another chapter.
“This team’s come from behind quite a bit this year in games, so they don’t give up,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog also scored, and Bowen Byram had two assists for the Avalanche, who were on the verge of advancing to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2002.