Manson unlikely hero for Avalanche in Game 1

DENVER --Josh Manson imagined the goal a thousand times as a kid, the shot that would win a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, he said he never could have imagined the feeling of scoring it.
That changed Tuesday when the defenseman was the center of a raucous celebration after his point shot found its way through traffic at 8:02 of overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Ball Arena.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will be here Thursday.
"In my dreams, [I scored] like a one-hander or something," Manson said, laughing. "It's not about how I feel, it's about how the whole team feels. Seeing everybody come at me was the best part.
"I think [defenseman Erik Johnson] was three feet off the ground when he got to me, and that's a big guy. I was just trying to hold my ground. But it was a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. It feels good to get that with your team. You know, that's the best part of playoffs, is that it's a team effort."

Manson, who also had the primary assist on the goal by Samuel Girard that made it 2-1, was the unlikeliest of heroes on a night when Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was stopping nearly everything in sight.
Cale Makar couldn't get a shot past Binnington. Neither could Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen or Nazem Kadri for Colorado, which outshot St. Louis 54-25, including 13-0 in overtime.
So instead it fell to Manson, who received a pass from Landeskog at the right point and faked a shot before his attempt found its way through Landeskog and Blues defenseman Justin Faulk at the top of the crease.
It was Manson's first career playoff goal (27th game).
"That was a nice pump fake up top first that he doesn't get a whole lot of credit for, but that was real nice," Landeskog said. "Got the forward to bite and get a shooting lane. At that point I'm just trying to stand in front and move out at the last second."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Blues series coverage]
In a way it was fitting for Manson to find the spotlight, to be in the middle of the overtime celebration, after the stay-at-home defenseman struggled a bit after he was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on March 14. In 22 regular-season games, Manson averaged 17:24 of ice time but was minus-11.
"I mean, he played his butt off all night long," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "It's a great goal, you know, on a great shift. Glad to see him get rewarded."
Manson's importance may not often be celebrated in the headlines, but it is obvious to those that look the hardest.
"I mean, he has been huge for us," Landeskog said. "He's big on the penalty kill, he's a physical presence back there, he's a calming presence in the room. Just a really good teammate, and you can't get enough of those."