The San Jose Sharks walked away from Game 7 with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche but it didn’t come without controversy.
Down 2-1 nearly midway through the second period, Colorado appeared to tie the game on a goal from Colin Wilson but after a challenge from Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer, the goal was called off. Upon further review, it was determined that Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog was offside by a hair as he was making a line change.
The outcome completely changed the game, as Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi went on to score the eventual game-winner less than five minutes later. After the contest, Landeskog stepped up to the plate and took full blame for the goal not counting.
Landeskog, who’s donned the ‘C’ in Denver since he was 19, was praised for his maturity afterward.
While The Avalanche captain’s night came with some disappointment, the Sharks’ couldn’t have gone much better. After suffering a concussion in his team’s previous Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Joe Pavelski returned to the lineup and gave his team a 1-0 lead just 5:57 into the first period. He would later add an assist on a goal by Tomas Hertl and was ultimately named the game’s first star.
Wednesday night’s result was obviously not the one that Avs fans were looking for but the 2018-19 season was a massive step forward for the organization. If they can sign pending restricted free agent Mikko Rantanen, Colorado’s scary forward core should stay intact heading into next season.
(H/T Michael Spencer)
