PORTLAND — Who saw that coming?
After two tight-checking, close-to-the-sweater games to open the Western Conference Finals, the Portland Winterhawks put seven goals past Kelowna goalies on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals and two assists and goalie Adin Hill came up big at big times as the Winterhawks won 7-3 in a wide-open affair that entertained 8,510 at the Moda Center.
Nic Petan had three assists on the night he tied the franchise record for playoff games played. The team captain now has a point or more in all 14 playoff games this season.
Game 4 is at 7 tonight in the Moda Center.
Portland built a three-goal lead during a wild second period that featured a series of big saves by Hill and a scuffle that included Hill.
Despite the score, the scattered nature of the second period displeased Portland coach Jamie Kompon. Kelowna put 23 shots on goal in the second period and finished the night with with 44.
“In that second period, it could have been 4-4. It could have been 5-4 for them,” Kompon said. “Adin made some real big saves. He kept us in. It’s not often you can say in a 7-3 game that your goalie won you the game.”
The biggest of Hill’s 41 saves robbed Tyrell Goulbourne of a goal that would have tied the score at 1 early in the second period.
“I went to him. I didn’t really know where the puck was when I saw him get it. I just got my glove on it,” Hill said. “Then we went right down after that and made it 2-0 so I think that was a big turning point”
That second goal came from an unlikely source as defenseman Keoni Texiera collected a loose puck at center ice, made a move entering the zone around Kole Lind and beat Whistle 1:33 into the second period.
“I saw them turn over the puck and I had an opportunity so I took advantage of it,” Texiera said. “I saw the net open so I shot it.”
Moments later, Chase De Leo redirected a Petan shot past the Kelowna goalie seven seconds into a Portland power play and it was 3-0 just 3:13 into the second period.
Kelowna finally put a puck into the goal 10:46 into the second — but not past Hill, who gloved a Leon Draisaitl shot towards an open net. But a replay review showed the glove with the puck clearly crossing the goal line. The puck had deflected off the skate of Chance Braid in front to an open Draisaitl.
Kelowna continued to push, but Portland restored the three-goal lead three minutes later as Alex Schoenborn broke in on goal after De Leo broke free behind defenseman Josh Morrissey and fed Schoenborn. Kelowna then replaced Whistle with Michael Herringer.
On a night when the Winterhawks were — in the words of Kompon — opportunistic, the Rockets gave them plenty of opportunities. Portland scored on four of eight power plays to ensure that any effort from Kelowna to close the gap would fail.
For the third time in as many games, the Winterhawks scored the first goal this one from Dominic Turgeon 12:50 into the first period. At the end of an up-ice rush, Turgeon found a rebound in the high slot, moved to his right and calmly lifted a back-hand shot under the cross bar. A Keegan Iverson centering pass for Miles Koules was cut off before Turgeon swooped in to finish the play.
At that point, it looked like this would be the third consecutive nip and tuck game. But Portland was only too willing to cash in on almost every Kelowna miscue.
Bjorkstrand scored a power-play goal and a breakaway chance, and Paul Bittner also converted a power play as Portland pulled away in the third period.
