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Good & Bad

Good & Bad: Third Period Gets Away From Avalanche in Loss to Islanders

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The Avalanche entered the third at UBS Arena tied with the New York Islanders. All they needed to do was win a period and return home feeling good after an emotional road trip.



Instead, the Islanders scored four times — once on an empty net — and the Avs only countered with one. Another goal from Colorado was called back after a review for goaltending interference. The result was a 5-2 loss to Patrick Roy’s team, falling to 29-21-2 and 1-2-0 on a road trip.

Each of the three games was within reach. Colorado entered the final frame either leading or tied each time. To come away with two out of six points is frustrating, but given how the road trip started, it’s understandable.

The Avs have two days off before their game at home on Friday.

Against the Isles, Colorado trailed 1-0 before scoring at 13:00 of the first period. Artturi Lehkonen, from the seat of his pants, put the puck up and over Ilya Sorokin off a pass from Nathan MacKinnon. Lehkonen got to the front of the net but lost his balance just as the pass was made. He still managed to stay in the play and finish the goal.

Martin Necas had the secondary assist, making a nice zone entry before finding MacKinnon through a seam to start the play.

The score remained tied at 1-1 until the third. Just 1:54 in, Simon Holmstrom turned and fired the puck past goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to regain the Isles lead.

The Avs thought they had the game-tying goal from Josh Manson a handful of minutes later. But after the celebration, Roy challenged the play for goalie interference and the play was called back. Jack Drury was in the crease and made minor contact with the blocker of Sorokin.

The score remained 2-1 and New York added to it with just under nine minutes remaining. But just a few minutes later, Necas waited patiently at the red line and sent a pass through the Isles defenders who were going for a change to catch Drury coming off the Avs bench. Drury skated in all alone and beat Sorokin for his second goal in as many games.

Trailing by one, Colorado didn’t get a chance to pull its goalie before Alexander Romanov doubled the lead with 2:29 left. Holmstrom later added an empty netter.

The Avs outshot New York 32-28. Blackwood finished with 23 saves after surrendering three goals on nine shots in the third period.

Good: Drury Flexes Offensive Game

Drury intrigued me as the second piece of the Mikko Rantanen deal from the get-go.ย I thought it was interesting to hear Chris MacFarland instantly refer to him as a third-line center. The next day, Jared Bednar said there was untapped potential in Drury’s game.

Drury has shown a willingness to get to the net and battle for a dirty goal. But against the Isles, his tally was all skill — flexing his shot on one of the best goalies in the league and showing Bednar and the Avalanche some of the offense he can provide. The kid’s got a lot of confidence and it’s something this team will like.

Drury had eight goals last year and just three in 39 games with Carolina before the trade. He was held off the scoresheet in his Avs debut but has two goals in two games since then.

Bad: Goalie Interference is Getting Out of Hand

Speaking of Drury, he was the center of a goalie interference play early in the third period. I understand he ever-so-slightly made contact with Sorokin, but I’m starting to lose sight of what the NHL is trying to accomplish with goalie interference.

By the rule of the law (or the standard that’s been set in the past), that’s goalie interference. He impeded Sorokin’s ability to move the blocker. No question.

But it wasn’t by much. And it’s getting out of hand.

If the slightest touch is enough for goalies to say they can’t move around, then what are we doing? Sorokin was focused on trying to locate the puck through a screen — that’s why the puck went past him. It wasn’t the contact from Drury that stopped him from making a save.

At this point, it would make more sense to bring back the foot in the blue paint rule and call it a day.

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