Aarif Deen
The Devils tested the Avalanche’s will on the power play. It was almost as if they gave the Avs and their struggling PP every opportunity to bend and break, so we can continue to talk about a failed unit loaded with talent that just can’t figure things out.
But that didn’t happen. Thankfully for Jared Bednar, Dave Hakstol, and the rest of the staff, the Avs’ top guys stepped up and answered every opportunity they got thrown their way.
The PP got them going; the PP separated them from New Jersey, and when things got a little too close for comfort, the PP shifted things back in their control.
Colorado won 8-4, and Victor Olofsson had an incredible performance. My observations, locker room interactions, and more from a goal-filled, entertaining battle between two of the NHL’s better clubs.
READ MORE: The Aftermath: PP Breaks Through, Avalanche Double Up New Jersey 8-4
10 Observations
1. The first penalty called on the Devils just 18 seconds in felt like a gift. But it also could’ve gotten in the Avs’ head pretty early if they failed to take advantage. It took 1:06 for the goal, but Martin Necas capitalized on an assist from Cale Makar to make it 1-0 before most fans were in their seats.
First test: Passed.
2. Colorado poured it on with two more goals, both at even strength. On their third PP opportunity, they got a length 5-on-3 for 1:49. They weren’t going to let that opportunity go. Nathan MacKinnon wired it home to make it 4-0 before the Devils could get momentum from a strong kill.
Second test: Passed.
3. Less than 90 seconds later, Parker Kelly got past the defense and put home his second of the season. It felt like the game was over, as it was 5-0 before the halfway mark against a Devils team that seemed like it had no response.
But then they came on. Suddenly, in a stretch of 4:04, the Devils scored four times. Stefan Noesen, Dougie Hamilton, Dawson Mercer, and Jack Hughes.
It was 5-4 with plenty of time left in this game.
But on the following shift after the Hughes goal, Timo Meier was called for tripping. The Avs’ power play had already scored the opening goal, and that top unit didn’t let a lengthy 5-on-3 slip between their fingers.
Now? A chance to shift the game back in their control. Victor Olofsson, to Makar, to MacKinnon. Goal.
6-4 Avs, and it took just 30 seconds.
The third period began with a manageable two-goal deficit for New Jersey. Another early penalty drawn, and yet another PP goal made it 7-4 and the Devils never recovered.
The power play had four goals in 10 games. And then it had four in this game against a team that only gave up two PP goals in nine games.
That’s the type of performance that can shift the tides.
Third test: Passed.
4. I don’t want the power play to take any spotlight away from an epic night of firsts. Let’s start with Olofsson. He had two PP assists, but he also scored off a beautiful release to get his first of the season.
The two he added in the third period capped off his first career NHL hat trick.
I remember on Saturday when the Avs played Boston, Olofsson was one of the top three players in the NHL in shots on goal without actually scoring a goal. The other two were Evan Bouchard and Alex DeBrincat, and they both scored that same day.
Kudos to Olofsson for finally getting one in. It’s funny what one game can do to your stat line. Suddenly, Colorado’s third line winger has 10 points in 11 games while averaging less than 14 minutes per game.
“I’ve been putting a lot of pucks on the net, unfortunately, not a lot in the net,” Olofsson said. “Usually it does come when you keep shooting.”
5. An even better first: Zakhar Bardakov had a beautiful release on a 1-on-1 opportunity with Markstrom. He shot that puck with confidence, celebrated with swagger, and now has his first NHL goal against the very team that drafted then traded him.
Don’t forget, the Avs got Bardakov and a seventh round pick for Kurtis MacDermid before the trade deadline in 2024.
Bednar called it Bardakov’s best game of the season, by far. It’s hard to disagree with that assessment.
Bardakov hit the post in the second period on what could’ve been his second goal. He made the most of his 8:34 of ice time.
6. Remember last year when MacKinnon had 32 goals in 79 regular-season games, and it felt kind of underwhelming? (And yes, I know he had 89 assists.) Since then, he’s had seven in as many playoff games, followed by nine in the first 11 games of this season. If my math is correct, that’s a whopping 16 goals in his last 18 games.
Last year, he didn’t get goal No. 9 until Dec. 3 at Buffalo. It’s still October.
7. It was nice to see Mackenzie Blackwood back on the bench. Wedgewood has let in quite a few goals in his last four starts but will finally get some help on a more consistent basis. It’s pretty crazy to see that his save percentage has dropped to .899.
Still, kudos to him for holding the fort down this year.
Colorado is at Vegas on Friday, and at San Jose on Saturday. Do you give Wedgewood one more start before turning to Blackwood against the weaker Sharks on the tail end of a back to back? Or do you throw Blackwood in against the Golden Knights?
8. Brock Nelson and Artturi Lehkonen were the only forwards to not record a point in this game. Which makes sense given that most of the production happened on the power play with the top unit on the ice.
Still, you want to at least see Nelson have one of those big production games soon to break him out of this weird start. Nelson has three points in 11 games.
9. MacKinnon has 17 points, which are two back of Jack Eichel for the most in the league. He’s also tied with Pavel Dorofyev and Jack Hughes for the league lead in goals with nine.
Makar has 15 points, which is among the top 12 in the league. His 12 assists are top three in the league and he’s also five points clear of all other blueliners in terms of production.
Those guys are somehow off to even better starts than usual.
10. I feel a lot better about Gabe Landeskog’s game after talking to him following morning skate. He’s taking it slow, he knows the expectations can’t be too high, too quickly, and the coaching staff is giving him all the time he needs to get back to where he needs to be.
This comeback was never going to be easy, nor was it going to be perfect like it seemed to be in at times in the playoffs.
I asked him about his postseason production compared to now, and he chalked it up to lucky bounces, goalies on the opposing teams making big saves, and of course, a goal that was called back. Here’s the full interview courtesy of Guerilla Sports.
It’s definitely worth a few minutes of your time.