Avalanche beat Oilers 4-2 to take 3-0 series lead

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J.T. Compher came out of the penalty box to give Colorado the lead with 7:18 left and the Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers' 4-2 on Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Called for tripping Leon Draisaitl just three minutes after Ryan McLeod tied it Edmonton, Compher came out of the penalty box, beat Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard for control along the boards and put the puck between goalie Mike Smith's legs.

Colorado Avalanche left wing J.T. Compher (37) scores on Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith (41) as Leon Draisaitl (29) defends during the third period of Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference finals, Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) ((Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP))

Valeri Nichushkin scored twice for Colorado, Mikko Rantanen had an empty-netter with 30 seconds left, and Pavel Francouz made 27 saves. Francouz stepped in midway through the Colorado’s 8-6 victory in Game 1 when Darcy Kuemper sustained an upper-body injury, then made 24 saves Thursday night in a 4-0 win for his second career playoff shutout.

McLeod tied at 2 at 7:34 of the third, going the length of the ice and beating Francouz with a snap shot from the high slot.

AVALANCHE VS. OILERS GAME 2 SCORE: PAVEL FRANCOUZ, NAZEM KADRI LEAD AVS TO 4-0 WIN

Connor McDavid also scored for Edmonton. Smith made 39 saves.

Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton, with Colorado a game away from advancing to the Stanley Cup final. The Avalanche won titles in 1996 and 2007.

Colorado Avalanche left wing J.T. Compher (37) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers with