PAVEL FRANCOUZ

Colorado, Chicago and Pittsburgh all made key moves ahead of the NHL draft with the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche making a deal to shore up their goaltending situation and the Penguins ensuring a long-time defenseman was sticking around.

The Colorado Avalanche got a key player back with the return of Nazem Kadri for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Despite many doubters after falling behind 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final, the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning answered back in a big way in Game Three, and look to even up the series with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. Watch the Stanley Cup Final on FuboTV (Try now) and DirecTV StreamCOLORADO AVALANCHE vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNINGGAME 4 (Avalanche lead 2-1)Things were looking a little bleak for the Bolts early on in the game, as the Avalanche were getting all sorts of chances, even striking first with a goal from Gabriel Landeskog. Watch the Stanley Cup Final on FuboTV (Try now)Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon and Steven Stamkos each had a goal and an assists for the Lightning, with Corey Perry, Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul also finding the back of the net. While the Avs, once again, outshot the Lightning (39-32), Tampa looked like they were in a lot more control. Check out the full NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs results here

Colorado not only failed to take a stranglehold in the Stanley Cup Final after a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 3 but also wound up with goaltending questions.

Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat each had a goal and an assist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored four times in the second period and beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Colorado Avalanche are expected to stick with goaltender Darcy Kuemper in goal for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The first team to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals might be determined on Monday night in northern Alberta, as the Colorado Avalanche have placed the Edmonton Oilers on the brink of elimination. Watch the NHL Playoffs on DirecTV StreamCOLORADO AVALANCE vs. EDMONTON OILERSGAME 4 (Avalanche lead 3-0)When: Monday, June 6Time: 8 p.m. Compher snuck one through the five-hole of Mike Smith, giving Colorado the lead, one they would hold onto to take a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 4-2 victory. Watch the NHL Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)That goal was Compher’s fifth goal of the playoffs. The depth for Colorado has paid dividends in the conference finals, forcing the Oilers to chase the play.

After two huge wins, the Colorado Avalanche look to take a stranglehold in the Western Conference Finals, while the Edmonton Oilers the home ice helps them get back into the series on Saturday night. Watch the NHL Playoffs on DirecTV StreamCOLORADO AVALANCE vs. EDMONTON OILERSGAME 3 (Avalanche lead 2-0)When: Saturday, June 4Time: 8 p.m. The Avs outshot the Oilers 40-24 in the contest, with backup goaltender Pavel Francouz pitching his second career playoff shutout. Nazem Kadri was a key catalyst in that second period for Colorado, assisting on all three goals in the frame. They gave Colorado seven power plays in the game, with Nathan MacKinnon’s 10th goal of the playoffs coming in the third.

Nazem Kadri had three assists in a 2:04 span in the second period, backup Pavel Francouz stopped 24 shots for his second career playoff shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

If Tuesday night meant anything, the Western Conference Finals is certainly going to see no shortage of drama, as the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche will run it back on Thursday in the Western Conference Finals. Watch the NHL Playoffs on DirecTV StreamEDMONTON OILERS vs. COLORADO AVALANCEGAME 2 (Avalanche lead 1-0)When: Thursday, June 2Time: 8 p.m. The Oilers and Avalanche combined for five goals in the opening 20 minutes., before Colorado opened up a 7-3 lead in the second period. Watch the NHL Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)The Avalanche played exactly how we expected them to in a series opener on home ice. The Avs are also looking for answers after Darcy Kuemper had to leave in the second period due to an apparent upper-body injury.

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Valeri Nichushkin scored the game-winning goal with 7:58 left, and the Colorado Avalanche became the first team to advance to the second round Monday night by finishing a sweep of the Nashville Predators 5-3 Monday night.

The pressure is squarely on the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Calgary Flames down two games to one in their respective first-round series.

Gabriel Landeskog scored twice in the second period, and the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 7-3 for a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.

Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper yanked his mask off and fell to the ice holding his head after being struck by a stick Saturday.

Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen scored, Pavel Francouz made 23 saves for his third career shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 16 games.

Some of the NHL's top teams got a head start on the trade deadline by making moves.

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired goaltender Devan Dubynk from the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Greg Pateryn and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft.

EDMONTON, AB The biggest boost for the Colorado Avalanche in must-win game after must-win game comes from an unlikely source their third-string goaltender. Michael Hutchinson stopped 27 shots and the Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Wednesday night to force a decisive Game 7 in their second-round playoff series. He deserves all the credit.Rookie defenseman Cale Makar scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, while Nikita Zadorov and Mikko Rantanen also added goals. Nathan MacKinnon scored an empty-netter for the Avalanche, who staved off elimination for a second straight game to tie the series at three wins apiece. We never thought it was going to be a sweep or an easy series, Stars forward Tyler Seguin said.

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, right, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Denver. Tarasenko makes his return after early season shoulder surgery that limited him to three goals in 10 games. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Ditto for St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues and Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hiatus allowed time to heal and now the top two teams in the Western Conference return as Cup favorites. The two teams get things rolling Sunday in Edmonton by facing each other to kick off a round-robin tournament to determine seeding in the West. It should be a fun ride.Back on the ice for the Blues is forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who underwent shoulder surgery in late October.