Avalanche Outlast Chicago In 2ots

The Colorado Avalanche advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 Monday night on Sandis Ozolinsh’s goal 5:18 into the second overtime.

The Avalanche, in their first season in Denver after 16 years as the Quebec Nordiques, beat the Blackhawks in six games and will meet either St. Louis or Detroit in the Western Conference final.

The Blackhawks last won a Stanley Cup in 1961, the NHL’s second-longest drought to Detroit’s 40 years. They lost four of their final five games after starting the postseason 5-0, including a victory in this series’ opener.

On the winner, Valeri Kamensky centered the puck to Ozolinsh, whose shot hit the crossbar. But Ozolinsh followed the puck and put the rebound behind goalie Ed Belfour.

It was the fourth overtime game of the series. After losing the first two, Colorado won the last two - including Game 4 in triple OT - to reach a conference final for only the third time in franchise history.

Joe Sakic secored his NHL playoff-high 13th goal at 1:29 of the third period and Kamensky scored his second goal of the game 5:33 later as Colorado took a 3-2 lead. But Chicago tied it with 59.2 seconds left in regulation, Joe Murphy scoring on Jeremy Roenick’s centering pass after the Blackhawks pulled Belfour for a sixth attacker.

Belfour made 31 saves and kept the Blackhawks alive in the first extra period, stopping Sakic at the end of a 3-on-1 break and Mike Ricci and Adam Dedmarsh on 2-on-1s.

Patrick Roy, acquired from Montreal to put the young and talented Avalanche in Stanley Cup contention, made 31 saves and preserved the tie with 3:02 left in the first overtime by stopping Denis Savard from the crease. He also stopped Savard twice from in-close in the second OT.

Kamensky fought off two defenders and scored on a rebound to give Colorado the lead 4:55 into the game. The Blackhawks tied it at 12:10 when Savard held the puck in at the point and flipped a high shot that went over the shoulder of the screened Roy.

With 23.2 seconds left in the second period, Bernie Nicholls deflected Roenick’s pass past Roy as the Blackhawks went into the third period ahead for the first time this series.

But the lead didn’t last long, as Sakic and Kamensky scored in the first 7:02 of the third period to put Colorado up 3-2.

On Murphy’s tying goal, Roenick fanned on a shot but recovered the puck and fed Murphy at the top of the crease. Roy, who had been playing Roenick, was out of position and couldn’t stop Murphy.

Belfour was superb throughout but also got a little help. Shots by Mike Keane in the first period and Ozolinsh in the second hit the right post.

Avalanche 4, Blackhawks 3 (2OT)

Colorado1 0 2 0 1 - 4 Chicago1 1 1 0 0 - 3

First Period-1, Colorado, Kamensky 8 (Ozolinsh, Lemieux), 4:55. 2, Chicago, Savard 1, 12:10.

Second Period-3, Chicago, Nicholls 2 (Roenick, Daze), 19:36.

Third Period-4, Colorado, Sakic 13 (Young, Krupp), 1:29 (pp). 5, Colorado, Kamensky 9 (Lemieux), 7:02. 6, Chicago, Murphy 6 (Nicholls, Roenick), 19:00.

First Overtime-None.

Second Overtime-7, Colorado, Ozolinsh 3 (Kamensky, Sakic), 5:18.

Shots on goal-Colorado 9-9-10-12-5-45. Chicago 10-7-8-7-2-34.Power-play opp.-Colorado 1 of 3; Chicago 0 of 4.Goalies-Colorado, Roy 8-4 (34 shots-31 saves). Chicago, Belfour 6-3 (45-41).A-21,356 (20,500).