WINNERS!: Avalanche go to WCF thanks to miracle Darren Helm goal

Darren Helm won it for the Colorado Avalanche with a slap shot with just under six seconds left. I was actually getting up to go to the bathroom for OT when the goal was scored.

I can’t believe what I just saw.

DaterJinx Supreme. Incredible.

Pure @Avalanche Joy. 🙌#StanleyCup | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/MaraIS1Hw0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2022

Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday night at Ball Arena, Game 1 of Western Conference Final. McDavid vs. MacKinnon. Game time is 6 p.m. mountain. The second-round monkey is finally off the backs of this core Avs group. The Avs are now in the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

I still can’t believe what I just saw.

Who had Darren Helm in the game-winning goal pool?

But he has a knack for this, doesn’t he?

Darren Helm scores a series-winning goal to send Colorado to Western Conference Finals.

May 27, 2009 (13 years ago to the day): Darren Helm scores a series-winning goal, sending Detroit to the Stanley Cup Finals. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/12d1HQfA05

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) May 28, 2022

The Avalanche NO LONGER have to answer questions about why they can’t get through the second round. It’s on to ROUND 3 now.

“It means a lot. Been through some dark times. Definitely felt like we outplayed them this series. We deserved a good bounce at the end,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “If we’re going to win, we need everybody. That’s kind of been our team this year. Helmer with an OT goal. Or, pretty much an OT goal. It’s a crazy game, hockey.”

“Obviously, last game was heartbreaking when it happens. You look back at all the things you could have done to make it different. But it’s cliche. It’s one game. Bounce back from losses. As a team, we rallied around the challenge,” Gabe Landeskog said. “I feel like the best is ahead.”

Said Jared Bednar: “You’ve got to use all your depth. J.T. Compher has a night. We talked about him being more assertive, not so safe. Obviously, the Helm goal was huge. His line was huge tonight. Not gonna be as pretty or fancy to watch as the MacKinnon line, but their line made a huge impact tonight.”

“It’s likely the experience of the past. We had two games this series we didn’t like at all. Game 5, we stopped playing to our identity the last 12 or 13 minutes. That one stung. It was depressing for 48 hours. We are an attacking team and when we don’t, we have trouble. Safe is death with our team. But our guys, you could tell the belief was there. I’m proud of the way our guys bounced back in this series.”