Eagles Bolster Avs Lineup During Stanley Cup Playoff Run

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With its back against the wall in the second-round series, the Colorado Avalanche turned to two young Colorado Eagles stars to help breathe some life back into its lineup. Conor Timmins and Logan O'Connor were those Eagles that came into the lineup and helped the Avalanche fight off elimination with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 on Monday night.
It didn't take long for the former Eagles to make an impact in the game.

O'Connor took a pass exiting the neutral zone, used his speed to get into the Dallas end and threaded a pass across the ice to find Pierre-Edouard Bellemare for the game's opening goal.
"We know he has speed," said Bellemare of his linemate O'Connor. "He's got such good speed, he got the puck and tried to attack and he made a play. I'm coming behind, I don't know if he sees me… but it's an unbelievable pass. It's just right there for me to shoot it."
The 35-year-old veteran praised O'Connor's ability to jump into playoff hockey mode in a tight series. The young forward made his postseason debut in Game 3 last Wednesday.
"At the end of the day, his legs and his skating, it's not easy to come in like this and just jump in, but he's doing an unbelievable job," said Bellemare.
It wasn't just O'Connor who impressed in the win, as Timmins saw himself suiting up for his first career Stanley Cup Playoff game.
Timmins turned in an impressive on-ice time of 14:44, playing at even strength and on the penalty kill.
"Obviously really excited playing my first playoff game," said Timmins. "I just tried to keep it simple tonight, make quick passes and spend as little time in the D-zone as possible."

Last summer, Timmins was able to start skating again at 100 percent after he underwent a year-long recovery following a concussion during his junior hockey career.
After the time off, Timmins played his first season of professional hockey and collected 27 points (three goals and 24 assists) in 40 American Hockey League games. He also appeared in two Avs games at the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
"We've liked what he's done since we've been here," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar of the rookie defenseman. "We've moved him into the big group when Erik Johnson] got hurt. Watching him practice, letting him get comfortable, sitting in on meetings and bringing him up to speed."
Timmins earned the trust of the Avalanche during those practices and added to the coaching staff's confidence in him in his playoff debut.
"To come in as a young guy into that type of game against a real good team in Dallas and do what he did for us tonight, I thought he had a lot of poise," Bednar said. "He moved the puck real well, used his first option, didn't complicate things. He was a real good defender. I really liked his night."
The Avalanche looks to even up the series with Dallas in Game 6 on Wednesday night, and with injuries still looming, it is expected that the coaching staff will once again look to former Eagles players to make an impact in the game.
Eagles fans can join the voice of the Eagles, Kevin McGlue, during Game 6 on the Avalanche Virtual Gameday broadcast. Head to
[ColoradoAvalanche.com/gameday
to enjoy special Eagles and Avalanche giveaways, along with game commentary from all your favorite personalities.
ColoradoAvalanche.com contributed to this story
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