Artturi Lehkonen spent much of the regular season trying to work his way back from a serious neck injury.
Two games into the postseason, he finds himself in a familiar spot: scoring big goals for a Colorado Avalanche team looking to make another run at the Stanley Cup.
Small sample size aside, the Avs forward leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in goals scored at the front. This after grinding through a difficult year that saw him missing nearly half the season after a scary collision in November.
“Unreal. He just finds himself in good spots all over the ice,” Avs forward Zach Parise said. “He’s a really easy guy to play with. Just a really smart hockey player so it’s not surprising he’s going to be in those positions to get the big goals but he always seems to come through when the team needs it. He’s a heck of a player.”
Lehkonen started the flurry that flipped Game 2 at Canada Life Centre against the Winnipeg Jets. He also gave the Avs some fleeting hope early in the third period of Game 1.
Both goals came with his back to the goaltender. Both were deflections, not shots. Both were scored from one of the “hard areas” of the ice — where bodily harm is often not legislated. The hockey axiom is there’s a price to pay to go to the front of the net, but those who are willing to do it will be rewarded.
“He’s a warrior, that guy,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “We all know. We all call him that. Goes to the hard areas, plays that tough-style game, forechecks hard, blocks shots. Goes to the hard areas and does exactly what we need to do in the playoffs. And I think that’s why you see all of the success he’s had in the playoffs because his game flourishes.”
Lehkonen’s season had barely begun before it was derailed. He missed 35 games after sustaining a neck injury against Seattle in November. He collided with Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak fighting for a loose puck, and then again with the end boards below the goal line.
The injury fragmented his season. There was a four-point game before the injury. There were another handful of games after he returned.
What there wasn’t was any period of sustained success where Lehkonen could stand out and gain some of the praise his consistency deserves. But now the postseason has started, and he’s already built a reputation as a playoff player.
This is Lehkonen’s time.
“This guy is … he’s a competitive, competitive guy,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “When you talk about all-around, good players that play the game the right way, and it’s not always showing up on the stat sheet for a guy like (Lehkonen). I can pick guys around the league that I’m a big fan of the way they play for multiple reasons. He’s one of them. When you do the right things all the time, day after day, practice, games, and you’re an intense competitor, it’s going to pay off for you at some point.
“I feel like we’ve seen that out of (Lehkonen). Big moments, just doing the right thing. Competing hard, great detail to his game, high level of skill and ability. That’s all you can ask for from a player. He’s never going to shortchange you on his effort, his competitiveness, the work he puts into the game. He’s one of those guys. It’s a coach’s dream.”
Colorado Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen (62) celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with Mikko Rantanen (96) during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP)
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The final numbers for the season: 16 goals and 34 points in 45 games. That’s a per-82-game pace that would have easily surpassed his career bests of 21 goals and 51 points set last year.
Lehkonen’s bona fides and place as a made man on this Colorado team were established in 2022. He had eight goals and 14 points as an integral secondary scorer during the Stanley Cup run. He had three goals and six points in the seven-game series loss last year to the Kraken.
And here he is again, with two big goals, four points and 11 shots on goal through two games against the Jets.
“Yeah, he’s huge. Art is Art. He does what he does,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “It’s not pretty, it’s not something that’s graceful and elegant to watch and something that gets put onto a stat sheet, but it’s what you need this time of year. You need guys like that who can do the things he does day after day, shift-after-shift, doing the right things, the little things, the little details that help you win hockey games. He doesn’t get recognized for a lot of things he does, but in here, we do.”
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