It was two years in the making. The Columbus Blue Jackets finally made it to Finland for their Global Series games in Tampere. Their opponent was the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. The Finns in the crowd were anxious for their hometown hero Patrik Laine and fellow countrymen Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen, and Joonas Korpisalo. Game one of the series was not without excitement and the crowd got their money’s worth. Here is what went down.
1st Period
The Avs struck early off the rush. A Newhook centering pass on a 3-on-2 rush found O’Connor in the slot, who ripped a wrister past Merzlikins.