DENVER -- During the second intermission of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, somebody in the Avalanche locker room flipped a switch.

After being outhustled, outsmarted and beaten to loose pucks by Detroit in the first two periods, it took Colorado just 45 seconds to shift the game's momentum and outcome.

"What's said in the room stays in the room," Avs center Chris Drury said.

Mystery aside, Colorado's "message" was heard on the ice. In that pivotal first minute of the third period, Joe Sakic took a pass from defenseman Greg de Vries at the blue line, split the Detroit defense and blasted a shot past Dominik Hasek to give Colorado a 2-1 lead in its 3-2 victory Saturday. The win evens the best-of-seven series at 2.

From then on, the Avs were a different team. They peppered Hasek with 10 shots in the third period and held the Wings to eight, marking the first time in the last six periods they have outshot Detroit.

"Mike Keane and Danny Hinote and Adam Foote did a great job in the locker room," Avs goaltender Patrick Roy said. "We needed some great urgency in the third to move on and try and win that game."

Keane, who was scratched with a rib injury, is known for his inspirational intermission speeches, and the team needed it.

The Avalanche had dug themselves into a hole in the first and second periods of Game 4. Detroit held Colorado to only four shots in the second period for the second consecutive game, and the Avs couldn't break out of their zone or get the puck deep into the Wings' territory.

They spent only 14 of the first 40 minutes attacking in the Detroit zone, and the Avs made it to the second period tied at 1 solely on the strength of Roy (31 saves). But the Avs knew winning the series would virtually be impossible if they headed back to Detroit down 3-1 to the Red Wings.

Avs coach Bob Hartley juggled his lines, looking for a spark. He played grinders Hinote, Eric Messier and Brad Larsen with scorers like Alex Tanguay, Sakic and Drury, adding grit to his speedy lines and making the forecheck more effective.

"We were looking to get a combination of speed and grit and skills," Hartley said. "On the forecheck, we were taking the body, and I don't think the Wings liked it."

At 16:43 of the third period, Peter Forsberg, who was quiet through the entire game, showed a flash of his usual brilliance. On a 3-on-2 break, he flipped a perfect saucer pass from the top of the right circle onto the stick of a streaking Drury, who backhanded a shot over Hasek's right shoulder.

With that, the Avs took their first two-goal lead of the series, even if it was short-lived. Brett Hull scored with three seconds left on the clock and an empty net in the Detroit zone.

"In the third period, we really worked hard with a lead for the first time," Forsberg said. "We've given up so many leads this series, maybe we're finally learning."

The third period of Game 4 was a start.

Game notes