The first game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers certainly did not disappoint in the goals category. Including an empty net goal there were 14 goals scored as the Avalanche won 8-6. All of the lines got into the mix offensively and there was always some kind of action occurring.

First thing is first... the offside/onside call. Looking at the rules now I understand why the call was made as onside. It technically is the correct call even though I believe it goes against the spirit of the rule. Just because Makar is not touching the puck at the exact moment should not mean that he doesn't have possession of the puck. If Nurse was to lay a hit on Makar at that exact moment would the proper call to the ref be interference on Nurse?

Regardless I am not going to sit here and say that call was why the Edmonton Oilers lost. It did result in a total of two goals scored against the Oilers but it's on Edmonton to not allow a goal immediately after they had tied it up or to get scored on on the following penalty kill.

All of these types of calls, from the Coleman kick to this onside call come back to one crucial issue that the NHL needs to address this off-season. Whether these were the right calls or not there is a clear misunderstanding among players, coaches, refs, etc in the NHL on what is and is not allowed on any given play. Can a player direct the puck into the net with a skate and to what degree? What counts as possession of the puck? What stipulates a cross check? Hammer out the details and revamp the rule book.

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Moving onto the game tonight.

Edmonton may have caught a break as it looks like Darcy Kuemper will not be available tonight. It appears to be an upper body injury as Kuemper went off the ice a couple times in the last game before finally leaving for the full game. Kuemper stopped 13 of 16 shots while Pavel Francouz came in and stopped 18 of 21. We aren't sure how long Kuemper is going to be out for but this has to be seen as a great opportunity for the Edmonton Oilers to challenge a netminder who hasn't played much in the last few weeks.

After Edmonton scored the first goal, the Avalanche came out guns blazing and deserved to be up at the end of the first period, onside call or not. The Avalanche did to the Oilers what Edmonton has done to their opponents in their prior two series; forced them to make mistakes in the neutral zone and immediately jump on the attack. Not that the Oilers didn't do their share to help the Avs out too. Edmonton made far too many unforced turnovers and Colorado is a team that will make you pay for those types of mistakes. That needs to be cleaned up tonight.

Ryan McLeod was finally rewarded with a goal on an easy tap in play. The young player was buzzing again in Game 1 and that third line with Foegele and Puljujarvi had great chances throughout the game. Not only would I keep that line together but I would bump up their ice time. Where would I take icetime from? Well.....

The fourth line continues to bleed chances and Josh Archibald remains a useless player on the ice. Colorado is too quick to get burned by his checking plays and he brings nothing to the Oilers in their defensive end. I would rather go 11/7 and try and get McDavid out there more and in some easier matchups than play Archibald another minute.

Another reason I would go 11/7 is that Darnell Nurse is clearly struggling with his injuries and while it's admirable he is staying in the lineup, it's clear he just doesn't have it going. Multiple goals in that game were as a result of Nurse not being able to properly pick up his man or getting beat to the puck outside. Nurse finished game one on the ice for 1 EV goal and 3 against. It might be time soon to bump Kulak up to that top pairing, drop Nurse down and bring Broberg or Russell into the game to take some minutes off.

Edmonton has made critical errors in both Game 1's of these playoffs so far but in both cases they have come back to win in Game 2. I won't go as far to say that a loss tonight makes this series unwinnable by any stretch but in order for Edmonton to move on to the Cup Finals they are going to need at least one win on the road. This team has shown resilience all year and I expect another high scoring game that should be entertaining from start to finish.

I hope you all enjoy the game.

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