10 Observations: Why the Avalanche’s Victory in Detroit Was Vital for the Road Trip (+)

DETROIT — It’s not often that the 28th game of the season matters as much as this one did. Not for a Stanley Cup contender — not for this iteration of the Avalanche.

But Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings was massive. It mattered for the Avs, it was vital for the road trip and it set them up to not only have a solid trip but for it to also not completely fall apart.

Had the Avs lost, they’d have fallen back to .500, which, at more than a third into the season, isn’t quite where they’d want to be. Their current 15-13-0 record is below expectations as it is.

It would’ve also meant they’re 1-2-0 on the trip and the one victory was a game where they trailed 4-0 before making a miraculous comeback. Because the Avs are in New Jersey on Sunday for the second of a back-to-back, the pressure to come away with two points against a stronger team would’ve multiplied. But, if they lose to the Devils, they’ll still now have a chance to gain 6-of-10 points by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Like I said, it’s only Game 28. But this one mattered and the Avs got the job done.

My observations from Detroit

1. This one also mattered for the goalie. Props to Alexandar Georgiev.

That Buffalo game isn’t an easy one to bounce back from. I thought head coach Jared Bednar would give him the Devils and ride Wedgewood for another night but Georgie stepped in and played well. As usual, it’s the inconsistencies from game to game that have hurt him this season. That’s something Bednar addressed following the big win.

2. Georgiev was excellent during that late flurry from the Red Wings. He made eight saves in the final 2:31, which included six stops in 17 seconds.

3. Ross Colton returned on Saturday and played fine, albeit Bednar limited his ice time, which was the plan all along. Colton’s original recovery timeline was 6-8 weeks but his return came 40 days after breaking his foot. Bednar said before the game that Colton would likely need some time to get his conditioning back up to speed. Breaking your foot means no skating for several weeks.

4. Colton began on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin. Bednar said the goal is to eventually get him back on the top line. I still think Nichushkin is the one who should be playing with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Especially after the all-around great game he had in Detroit.

5. Nichushkin played just 17:53, which is fine for a second-liner. The top line all hovered around 22 minutes but it was Nichushkin who was closing out the game with the two superstars.

6. Mittelstadt had an assist on the Nichushkin goal but he still looks a step behind the play. Like I said, Bednar wants Colton back on the top line. Not just because he was having a great start to the season, but because he wants Mittelstadt back with Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. The team is doing anything it can to get the No. 2 center out of this rut.

7. Only 6:58 of ice time for Nikolai Kovalenko. He’s got just two goals and zero assists over the past 11 games and has seen his ice time drop below 10 minutes on six occasions during that stretch.

8. Keaton Middleton and Calvin de Haan as a pairing is… Not great.

9. J.T. Compher’s stat line this season is quite bad. Tough look for just the second of a lucrative five-year contract.

10. The Red Wings had one shot on goal in the first 17 minutes of the third period where they entered down a goal. They followed it up with the aforementioned flurry but it’s still a tough look. It was only 2-1.

Is this the game that leads to a coaching change?