Rosenheimer fends off all shots on goal at 3-0 – Islanders win 4-2 against Washington
Philipp Grubauer received thanks from his teammates, then the Rosenheimer had his second playoff shutout career is almost over. “Every game is important, every change, every second – and we are now focusing on the next game,” said the Rosenheimer in the press conference after 3:0 the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the conference quarterfinals against the Arizona Coyotes. Grubauer played a big part in this with a confident performance, even if the strong Avalanche defense limited the opponent's shots on goal to just 14.
“I'd definitely rather have a game like that with about ten shots than one with 50 shots,” commented the 2018 Stanley Cup winner, particularly on occasions from Arizona's top attackers Clayton Keller (31st) and Phil Kessel (50th). .) was required. Ultimately, Grubauer passed the praise on to his teammates. “The boys made it easy for me, kept the targets on the outside and actually let me see every single shot,” he said, but also pointed out the difficulty of staying focused despite the Coyotes’ relatively small number of chances: “Games like that are not easy at all.”
Colorado not only had a clear increase in chances, but also had significantly more possession than the opponent. Nevertheless, it took until the final third before the team from Denver overcame the outstanding Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper. But then one and a half minutes were enough to decide the game. First Nazem Kadri (54./PP) scored, then ten seconds later JT Compher (54.) scored and finally a good 60 seconds later Mikko Rantanen (55.) scored the final point. “We expect the next few games to be even more difficult,” said Avs head coach Jared Bednar.
His team underlined their ambitions in Edmonton, as Colorado is highly rated and considered one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup. Captain Erik Johnson thinks: “We found each other well as a team, and at the right time. We have a really good chance.” Bednar also likes the atmosphere in the team and that everyone is committed to a common goal. “They trust each other, they know how we want to play and what we have to do to be successful,” said the coach – and added: “I hope we continue like this.”
The New York Islanders got off to a successful start in the conference quarterfinals in the East against the favored Washington Capitals. Tom Kühnhackl and Goalkeeper Thomas Greiss However, they were not used in the 4-2 win after a 0-2 deficit. Jordan Eberle (19th), Anders Lee (41st), Josh Bailey (47th) and Anthony Beauvillier (52nd) scored the goals for New York after TJ Oshie (6th, 12th) scored twice for the Caps had.
(Photo Andrej Galica): Philipp Grubauer at the 2019 World Cup in the game against Finland