Eagles Bolster Avs During Stanley Cup Run
Sep 1, 2020
Story by Cal Miller / @calmiller17
With their back against the wall the Avalanche turned to two young Eagles stars to help breathe some life back into their lineup. Conor Timmins and Logan O’Connor were those Eagles that would come into the lineup and help the Avalanche fight off elimination with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game Five.
It didn’t take long for the former Eagles to make an impact on the game. O’Connor took a pass exiting the neutral zone, used his speed to get into the Dallas zone, 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 heaping on the praise of O’Connor’s ability to jump into playoff hockey mode in a tight series, “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.”
It wasn’t just O’Connor who impressed in the win last night. Timmins saw himself suiting up for his first Stanley Cup Playoff game last night. Timmins turned in an impressive on-ice time of 14:44, playing 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.”
Just one year ago Timmins was beginning to skate and fully participate in practices again. He underwent a year-long recovery after suffering a concussion during his junior hockey career. After the year off, Timmins would start his first year of professional hokey that saw him collect 27 points (three goals and 24 assists) in 40 American Hockey League games. “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 EJ 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 coaching staff during practices and during 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. 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 look to even up the series with Dallas Wednesday night. With injuries still looming, you expect the Avalanche coaching staff once again look to Eagles players to make an impact in the game. Eagles fans can join the voice of the Eagles, Kevin McGlue, during the Avalanche game on the Virtual Gameday broadcast. Head to ColoradoAvalanche.com/gameday to enjoy special Eagles and Avalanche giveaways, along with game commentary from all your favorite personalities.
