DENVER (AP) — 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.
The Avalanche broke through in the second after a scoreless opening period that featured something rarely seen so far in this series — defense.
Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson scored 15 seconds apart to get things going in the second, with Mikko Rantanen adding another on Kadri's third assist. Nathan MacKinnon scored late in the third.
Game 3 is Saturday in Edmonton.
