Observations: Avalanche Win Preseason Game With Vegas

The Colorado Avalanche won the second preseason game of the two being played, tonight against the the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1.  It was a night full of firsts, with me and for some of the players in Avalanche uniform tonight. I was covering my first game for the site and some players technically were making their Avalanche debut.

Preseason Game #️⃣2️⃣ #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/iZTukj0a6E

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 26, 2022

• Evan Rodrigues was centering on the first line alongside Andrew Cogliano and J.T. Compher. He was also heading up the first power play unit, which had nine opportunities to work with tonight. Rodrigues was fourth among all players on the Avalanche in ice time earning himself four shots and one assist. His two way defensive game was stellar as he played on both ends of the ice and backchecked consistently.
• Alexandar Georgiev started in the crease for the Avalanche tonight playing a solid game. He allowed only one goal from up close in the slot and over the glove. Other than the one goal he had a pretty simple night, surrendering the crease to Jonas Johansson halfway through the second period. Johansson played a stellar game with a few key saves to keep the Avalanche in the game at key moments.
• Oskar Olausson played some top six minutes tonight and showed that he has a shot that is close to NHL ready. During his press conference he stated that he had been working on his positioning and it showed during the game.
• Alex Beaucage showed that he has improved a lot on his skating over the last year. Every year his skating has been a focus and concern of his with Coach Greg Cronin even stating that he has seen the improvement in training camp.
• Martin Kaut had a poor game despite having a great couple of days in training camp. Kaut ended up spending four mins in the penalty box, but Coach Cronin did say that he liked his game.

Although this was only the second preseason game, it was a game loaded with a lot of prospects. It is always fun to see the veterans again, but this where the kids get a chance to shine. This was my first opportunity to see Beaucage and Olausson play in game situations and I really like the way they play. Both have tons of potential, with Olausson possibly seeing a stint with the Avalanche this year. It is still unclear where the second line center debate stands, that will have to come later in the preseason. The next game for the Avalanche will be on Tuesday, September 27th against the Minnesota Wild in Denver.