Ex-Oiler Buries Series Clincher for Avalanche

Colorado gets the sort of playoff dagger that front offices love to justify in August and opponents hate to see in May. A former Edmonton defenseman ends up in the center of the conversation again, which is exactly how the playoffs love to humiliate the tidy narratives everyone builds in advance. The Avalanche keep stacking reasons to believe, and the Oilers are left watching a familiar face swing the series at the worst possible time.