Good & Bad: Nichushkin Scores 2 in Avalanche Win

Valeri Nichushkin scored the only two goals for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2-1 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Shots on goal were lopsided in favor of the Avalanche but both goaltenders had outstanding games. Alexandar Georgiev made 18 saves, while Adin Hill made 33.

“He was great. He’s played some good games for us, but I mean, whenever you can hold them to one and then do what he did in the shootout. I think it’s pretty impressive,” head coach Jared Bednar said after the win.

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The Avs had a slow start with sloppy play, disconnected passes and only two shots on goal with six minutes left in the period. The team flipped a switch and made a late push to add four more shots but it remained scoreless after the first 20 minutes.

The team continued that momentum in the second and was rewarded with an unassisted goal from Nichushkin at 6:18, just 33 seconds after Pavel Dorofeyev got the Golden Knights on the board.

Both teams played well defensively and kept it a scoreless third period and overtime.

Nichushkin was the fifth shooter in the shootout to win the game. Hill stopped shots from Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Casey Mittelstadt before the 29-year-old Russian beat him.

As expected, Nichushkin was awarded the Player of the Game big hat but did not speak to the media after the win.

Good: Defensive Play

Colorado had 28 blocked shots and held Vegas to 19 shots on goal. Smart defensive plays from Sam Girard and Sam Malinksi along with the rest of the defense, helped the Avs earn the win.

“It was hard finding ice to create scoring chances for both teams, and I thought both teams checked hard, skated hard. It had pretty good pace to the game …,” Bednar said. “Right from Nate (MacKinnon) all the way through our lineup, our guys checked hard, and they were determined on the offensive side of it, but I thought both goalies played really well.”

The Avs worked hard to keep the puck away from the Golden Knights and minimize their quality chances, which made Georgiev’s job a little easier.

“I would say mentally, it’s a little easier when the score is 0-0 or 1-1. It’s more fun a little bit. And you just try to stay sharp. I know I don’t face too many shots, but sometimes you’re sitting there cold, and they have some good chances, so trying to be ready every opportunity they get there,” Georgiev said.

Bad: Another Slow Start, Turnovers an Issue

The Avs only had two shots on goal with six minutes left in the first period and made a late push to tack on another four. The majority of the opening period was sloppy with disconnected passes.

Neither team got on the board but the Avs’ energy did not seem charged. The Avs had six giveaways and the Golden Knights had eight — in the give-and-take period.

“There’s no question — early in the game, some of our puck play wasn’t the best,” Bednar said. “But you got to give them credit for some of it too. They didn’t give us a lot of room to move.”

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