Compher comes up big for Avalanche in Game 3 of Western Final

EDMONTON -- It should have been one of the great celebrations of J.T. Compher's NHL career.

Had he actually witnessed the puck cross the goal line, it likely would have been.
Instead, the Colorado Avalanche forward had no idea that his snap shot had snuck through the legs of Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith with 7:18 remaining in the third period for what would prove to be the winning goal in a
4-2 victory
at Rogers Place on Saturday.
"Shot five-hole and I didn't see it go in," the 27-year-old said. "I thought it was in his pads the way he was moving."
RELATED: [Complete Avalanche vs. Oilers series coverage]
As the Oilers crowd let out a collective groan, Compher finally took another look. That's when the reality set in. The puck was in the net.
"It took me a second to get there," he said. "It was nice to see when I finally did see it in the net."
Not only for him, but for the entire Avalanche team. The goal, after all, lifted Colorado to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Final heading into Game 4 on Monday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).
While Compher proved to be the hero of Game 3, his importance for the Avalanche moving forward certainly gained traction afterNazem Kadri sustained an undisclosed injury at 1:06 of the first period.
With the Oilers leading 1-0 on a goal by captain Connor McDavid 38 seconds into the game, Kadri was hit from behind on a dangerous play by forward Evander Kane and was down on the ice for several minutes before being helped off with the aid of a trainer. Kane was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the play.
Having lost his second-line center, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar responded by moving Compher into Kadri's spot between Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen.
He might be there for a while, given the severity of Kadri's injury.
Bednar announced after the game that Kadri will be out for the remainder of the series, if not longer. The Avalanche did not reveal the extent of the injury, but there is no doubt it is serious given the coach's diagnosis.
Time for Compher to step up. On this night, he did.
"You lose a guy of 'Naz's' stature and the role that he plays, someone has to step up, if not multiple guys," Bednar said. "And I thought J.T. has been playing some really good hockey lately, finding a way to get on the score sheet.
"I thought he did a nice job defensively. Obviously, a huge goal, the second effort on that goal to win the battle and then take it to the net and still be able to put it behind Smith. I thought it was a huge play at a very key time in the game."

Compher, who had 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 70 games during the regular season, has found his scoring touch of late. He's scored five goals in the past four games and provided optimism among his teammates that he can help pick up some of the slack in Kadri's absence.
"He's been awesome," forward Nathan MacKinnon said. "We're going to need him going forward to be a difference-maker like he is, and that doesn't mean [just] scoring goals. He's been great all over the ice. He's such a steady, big, two-way player. He's been with us for [six] years now, playing great.
"It's awesome to see him have this success offensively, but we need him to keep killing penalties and winning big draws and being a pest out there, and he's been awesome."
For his part, Compher is confident he can continue to contribute all over the ice, even if he actually doesn't see the goals go in.
"I think just sticking with it, shooting the puck a bit more," he said. "More shots in the last few games than I had earlier in the playoffs. But I'm not too focused on that, especially tonight. Just trying to check the right way and play defensively and then the chances will come."