Just about in the end thanks to a brilliant goaltending performance.
The Colorado Avalanche traveled to Detroit to face off against their long-time rivals, the Red Wings, after a tough loss in Carolina. The Avalanche desperately needed to win to stay above .500 and the Red Wings were looking to kick a four-game skid.
Recap
The Avs’ constant struggle to start hockey games has been a gripe many have had against the team. Val Nichushkin stayed hard at work to ensure that wouldn’t be the case tonight. After having scored the team’s final two goals in a loss to the Hurricanes he would score his third in as many games by following up on a blocked shot off the rush and firing it past Ville Husso.
It was good for the Avalanche to get a lead to start the game and the rest of the first was solid from the squad. They generated quality chances and gave up a few the other way. Overall it would be apt to describe it as a good road period.
The second was a much different story. Colorado would again start on the front foot. They applied pressure and got a few chances off the rip, resulting in Ross Colton drawing a penalty in his first game back since breaking his foot.
Even when scoring the first goal the Avalanche have struggled to maintain the lead and score another. Combine that with the fact that the Avalanche powerplay has been stuck in the mud lately and it was a big opportunity for Colorado to right the ship a bit. Cale Makar played the part of the captain on this ship as he sunk his patented wrister from the point to give the Avs their much-needed two-goal lead.
This two-goal cushion would become essential quickly as the Avs would spend the majority of the second period after the tally on their heels. Detroit has lost four in a row and was playing like a team desperate to get off their slide. Conversely, the Avalanche were playing like a team that knew they had to go to New Jersey to play a rested, quality hockey team in the Devils. Alexandar Georgiev was up to the task and bailed his team out consistently in the middle frame. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do when Dylan Larkin wheeled up high to fire a Hail Mary wrister that Lukas Raymond got a stick on.
The Red Wings made it a 2-1 game late enough in the second that the Avs just had to ride out the rest of the frame and regroup in the intermission. The lack of text following this should be a good indication that the Avs did make adjustments.
Colorado certainly flipped the script in the third and choked the life out of the Red Wings, outshooting them 11-1 at 5-on-5. A preferential way to close out a hockey game for a team going into the ultimate segababa tomorrow.
Detroit made things interesting with a few net front flurries once Husso had been called to the bench but it was too little too late as Georgiev shut the door to get the Avs a much-needed win.
Takeaways
This wasn’t a pretty hockey game. The first two periods for the Avalanche left a lot to be desired, more specifically in the puck management category. They continue to make poor decisions with the puck on both ends of the ice and it gets them into a lot of trouble. Fortunately, it wasn’t as egregious or against as good of a team as the last game in Carolina. With tired legs, the Avalanche will certainly need to fix that come tomorrow.
The Avs top line was the biggest culprit regarding puck issues. They didn’t play horribly but they couldn’t sustain pressure for the life of them and were constantly getting hemmed in their own zone. Never should a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have that happen. On the plus side, those two should have plenty in the take for tomorrow’s game.
The Avs’ middle six was their motor tonight. It was encouraging to see the second line finally find a groove with Colton being reinserted into the lineup as they tallied one and drew the penalty that led to the Avs’ second goal. The third line was similarly dominant but they have a skill ceiling that gets in the way frequently. Both lines controlled play and walked away with dominant numbers across the board. The second line in particular had some eye-popping underlying with a 9-1 scoring chance advantage and a 4-0 high danger chance advantage. They were dominant tonight. Something the Avalanche desperately needed given the way their first line played tonight.
Alexandar Georgiev bounced back well after a rough outing against Buffalo. He’s had a rough go of it this year but it’s encouraging to see how well he bounces back after tough games. Definitely not something we saw this year. He made some big saves to bail the Avalanche out, especially towards the end. He just needs to find the consistency.
Cale Makar also did Cale Makar things. Need I say more?
Upcoming
Colorado has a quick turnaround as they play the Devils in New Jersey tomorrow night. Puck drop will be at 5 p.m. MT as the Avalanche look to steal one in what will certainly be a tough contest. Mile High Hockey will have you covered.