Rantanen, Avalanche Mount Comeback In Chaotic Victory Over Flames

Monday night is the type of win that can keep Colorado Avalanche fans coming to Ball Arena.

It’s also the type of game that gives coaches heartburn.

Down two heading into the third period, the Avalanche scored three goals in a span of 4:10, giving them a 6-5 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames. Mikko Rantanen broke out of his slump, picking up a goal and two assists, helping the team snap out of their funk a little bit. Ivan Prosvetov entered the game in the third period, replacing Alexandar Georgiev, who gave up five goals on 22 shots. Prosvetov was strong in relief, stopping all 11 shots he faced, allowing the Avalanche to make the comeback.

First Period

The first 14 minutes of the period were some of the worst hockey you’re going to see. Part of that might have had to do with the ice, but I can’t be so sure. Players were fanning on passes, whiffing on shots, and just forgetting the puck behind them. It was ugly.

And the 14th minute was even uglier for the Avalanche.

A cross-ice pass from Devon Toews was nearly picked off by the Flames. If they had done so, it could have been a clear breakaway. No worries, though, because Mikko Rantanen gave it right back to them. Blake Coleman sent the puck to a wide open Nazem Kadri on a 3-on-2, and the former Avalanche forward beat Georgiev up high, making it 1-0.

Colorado received their second powerplay of the game immediately after the goal, and while they didn’t score, they did generate some momentum. Ryan Johansen was robbed by Vladar’s left pad on what looked like an easy goal.

The shift after the powerplay, our long-standing national nightmare came to an end.

Tomas Tatar finally scored a goal in the Avalanche uniform.

Some great work down low by Ross Colton drew all the attention of the Flames, which left Tatar wide open in front. The veteran winger sent a wrist shot over the blocker of Vladar, tying the game at one. Tatar looked to the heavens, as the longest drought of his career was finally over. Colton looked even happier for him, which is typically the case whenever he’s on the ice for a goal.

The teams entered the intermission tied up at one, but the Avalanche held a 2-to-1 shot advantage on the Flames.

Second Period

Oh, where to begin?

Second periods have been a rollercoaster for the Avalanche this season, and that continued on Monday night.

It started off well for Colorado. The slumping powerplay finally connected, as some good puck movement left Cale Makar wide open for a one-timer, which he fired past Vladar. Colorado had all the momentum, and we even saw a big hit thrown by Nathan MacKinnon. With the Flames down to just five defensemen, everything looked good for the Avalanche.

Until it didn’t.

Five minutes in, after some cycling in the offensive zone, Kadri found a wide open Mangiapane in the slot, who beat Georgiev on the glove side. The small winger had escaped Ryan Johansen, who was move back to second line center for this game.

Colorado failed to take advantage of another powerplay, and given they had the first four of the night, you knew the refs might swallow their whistles the rest of the evening.

With the game tied, the Avalanche just needed to keep doing what they’re doing, with Georgiev making the saves he needs to make. Easier said than done, though.

Blake Coleman beat Georgiev 13 minutes into the period on a shot that the goaltender just needs to stop, as it went right through him. It might have been slightly deflected by Makar, but it still managed to go through the Avalanche netminder.

The Avalanche shook it off pretty quickly, as Ben Meyers, called up earlier that day, suck away from coverage in the slot and beat Vladar up high, tying the game up again. The chaos of the period wasn’t quite done, though.

Off a TV timeout, Bednar sent out his best players for a defensive zone face-off. Unfortunately, the top players on the team have been letting the team down defensively, and that trend continued through the end of the second. A shot from the point was kicked right into the slot by Georgiev. It looked like Toews had an easy clear, but he couldn’t get enough of it. It bounced in the air, and Zary deflected it out of mid-air, giving the Flames the lead again.

With under two minutes remaining in the period, and both teams playing 4-on-4, the Flames got another one. And yes, the top players for Colorado were on the ice again. Sharangovich snuck behind Cale Makar, and was hit with a great pass by Noah Hanifin, making it 5-3.

That goal made it four goals in the second for the Flames, tying the Avalanche with the San Jose Sharks with a league high 38 goals against in second periods. No, that’s not a good stat.

Third Period

Between periods, Bednar decided that Georgiev’s night was done, as Ivan Prosvetov led the team onto the ice.

To start the period, the Avalanche created some good chances, but looked a little tense, trying to push a little too hard. Six minutes into the period, Valeri Nichushkin took a penalty as the Flames broke away for an odd-man rush. The penalty kill might have been the turning point of the period, as Prosvetov was solid in net and the killers did their job perfectly.

The chaos of the game continued, but this time, it benefited the Avalanche. After a Miles Wood interception in the neutral zone, Colorado cut the lead to one. Josh Manson’s one-timer from the point shattered his stick, but somehow, it made it’s way through several Flames players skates, and landed right on the stick of Ross Colton, who shot it past a sliding Vladar. The momentum of the game had changed again, and this time, Colorado made sure to take advantage.

Two minutes after the Colton goal, the most important goal scorer on the team finally broke through on a goal that is a perfect example of why every goal doesn’t have to be pretty.

At the center blueline, Makar shook free from defenders and got a nice shot on net. Both Rantanen and Nichushkin battled for positioning in front of the net, and the big Finn poked it home past Vladar, tying the game at five. The goal was Rantanen’s first since Nov. 22, and it couldn’t have come at a bigger time.

And two minutes after that, the Flames let the worst possible player get behind their defense. That meant great things for the Avalanche.

A perfectly executed breakout by Colorado allowed Nathan MacKinnon to sneak behind the Flames defenders for about as clean a breakaway as you can get. The superstar center knew exactly where he was heading with the puck as soon as he got, and beat Vladar low blocker, giving the Avalanche the 6-5 lead.

However, there was still a few minutes remaining, and the Avalanche still had to lock things down. They did just that, and walked away with a wild 6-5 win.

Colorado still has one game left on their homestand, as they host Erik Johnson and the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. That game starts at 8 PM MST.