It’s Pride Night at Ball Arena! With the building lit up in ALL of the colors, the Avs host the Detroit Red Wings after just playing them last game in Detroit, and winning 5-0.
Mackenzie Blackwood earned his third shutout of the season on Saturday and, as a result, earned another start against the Red Wings tonight.
Devon Toews made his return in tonight’s game after not playing since January 3rd.
Martin Necas was scratched yet again (lower-body, day-to-day) tonight, though Coach Jared Bednar expects him to possibly play on Wednesday.
Marco Kasper capitalized on a 2-on-1 opportunity created by a Devon Toews pinch to start the game. Lucas Raymond found Kasper with a pass that got past Mackenzie Blackwood and a Cale Makar in a diving block to make it 1-0 just 33 seconds into the game.
This game then progressed just seconds shy of 59 minutes without a goal.
They totaled just 12 shots on goal through two periods of hockey.
They tallied 8 in the first 10 minutes of the third period alone.
The second goal of the game goes to Detroit in the last 30 seconds of regulation. Lucas Raymond hits the empty net. Two-point nights for Raymond, who assisted on the first goal, and Dylan Larkin, who assisted on both.
Have to pepper shots early in the game
First period: eight shots
Second period: four shots
Third period: ten shots.
Eight of those ten shots came in the first ten minutes of the third period.
Then there are all of the shot attempts that didn’t hit the net. Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, the list goes on tonight of guys who could have goals tonight if their shots didn’t go wide.
Quality vs. quantity is a valid conversation in a game like tonight’s, but it feels like a double-headed monster plaguing the Avs right now.
Or maybe their heads are already in break-mode, given they have one game left until the Olympic break hits the NHL.