Twice in the hours after his team’s 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s message about the volume of scoring opportunities remained the same.
Friday night: “I didn’t mind them.”
Saturday morning: “(We) created a significant amount of chances, probably enough chances to win the game.”
The industry website Natural Stat Trick charted the Avs with 25 scoring chances and five high danger opportunities. The expected goal total was 1.72, so the Avs essentially got what they earned analytically, held under three goals for only the third time in 19 playoff games.