10 Observations: Avs Battle Back in Epic OT Win Over Sabres, Officiating Questioned

The Avalanche topped their most notable comeback win this season — against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 3 — with an even more ridiculous stunner.

Devon Toews scored the game-winning goal just seconds into overtime but the game wasn’t a nail-biter from the get-go. It was a pretty drab first period and as Toews said after the game, “It shouldn’t take our goalie going down for us to get a little bit of juice.”

10 Observations

1. Let’s address the elephant in the room — no whistle from the refs after Scott Wedgewood was clearly injured and lying in the crease. Head coach Jared Bednar’ said, “The referee said it wasn’t blown because we put their guy into Scott. I said, I don’t give a sh-t. He’s hurt. They’re standing there. He’s sitting there. He’s hurt. Blow the whistle.”
   
   Pretty much sums up exactly what everyone in Ball Arena was saying, including all of us in the press box.
   
2. The Avs came out slow and lackluster in the first period which ended with the Sabres up 2-0.
3. This game was all too similar to the last meeting between these two teams — backup goalie coming in for relief in a bad situation, down a handful of goals before getting a boost and coming back to win.
4. Jason Zucker scored a hat trick but the Sabres lost because the Avalanche would not go down quietly.
5. Cale Makar knows how to score goals, especially when his team really needs them.
6. Five different players had multi-point nights and the team’s production didn’t start until 25 minutes into the game.
7. This was the best postgame media conference from Bednar this season.
8. Media entered the Avs locker room to a loud, boisterous laugh from Ross Colton. It was a happy place to be.
9. Makar told Toews, “No, you have to put it back on, it’s team rules,” when he took off the Player of the Game hat and reporters swarmed him.
10. And then there was this from Mackenzie Blackwood …