Philipp Grubauer’s transformation from Stanley Cup Playoffs dud to stud required a year of reflection and a change of scenery.
His performance Thursday night in Game 4 against the Sharks? Brilliant. The Avalanche goaltender stopped all 32 shots on goal in a 3-0 victory to even the series headed back to San Jose. It marked the first Colorado postseason shutout since 2010 (Craig Anderson, 1-0 in OT vs. the Sharks). Only five Avs/Nordiques goaltenders in franchise history — Patrick Roy, David Aebischer, Dan Bouchard, Anderson and Grubauer — have at least one playoff game with zero goals allowed.