Aarif Deen
DENVER — What an excellent start to a two-game homestand for the Avalanche. The way they played on the road (despite not getting the results) was a step in the right direction. They needed to build off of that against a struggling St. Louis Blues team and did exactly that.
Four goals in the first period — two on the power play, and five overall on 36 shots. Job well done.
10 Observations
1. I loved Jared Bednar’s morning skate quote, saying the Avs are going to treat these last five games before the break like it’s the playoffs. It sure looked like that was the case given the way they started. Four goals, two from Jonathan Drouin, one from Martin Necas, and Cale Makar in a four-goal outburst in the opening 20 minutes. They dominated with a 21-6 shot advantage, too.
2. I haven’t watched many Necas goals but that one felt like a vintage goal for him. Big burst of speed up the middle of the ice, a clean zone entry, and a rocket of a wrist shot that beats the goalie one-on-one.
3. Bednar did say postgame that they’re encouraging him to shoot more. Despite being up by four, Necas passed off a handful of shooting opportunities.
4. It’s still strange to see the Avs rolling four lines in a game this season. I’d still like to see more depth added before the deadline aside from Valeri Nichushkin’s return (and potentially Gabriel Landeskog). The first-period domination also made it easier to roll four lines the rest of the way. You need these types of games from time to time in the middle of the season.
5. I was most interested in how the power play would do with the new look and it did not disappoint. Bednar said after Thursday’s practice that he likes finally having another right-handed shooter in Necas. , In recent history, this team often brings in skilled lefties.
The two PP goals in the first period were their first PP multi-goal game since Dec. 19 at San Jose. Having both Necas and Nathan MacKinnon skating around like madmen while set up in the offensive zone is fun. We all know how badly the PP needed a refresh.
6. Saw a stat before the game that Artturi Lehkonen has the third most goals in the NHL since Dec. 1. His 17 tallies trail only behind Leon Draisaitl and Mark Scheifele (19, each). Seventeen goals in 28 games is outstanding for that player. But he’s only got four assists in that stretch after recording one against the Blues. Still one of the weirder stat lines I’ve seen in a while.
7. Here’s how many games it’s taken for each of the last five seasons for the Avalanche to get to 30 wins: 47 games (last year), 54, 41, 43, and 52. They got to 30 wins after defeating the Blues in their 53rd game.
Yes, the 30 wins through 41 games was the Stanley Cup year which is honestly insane. But this year isn’t far off from other seasons. In 2022-23, they needed 54 games to reach the 30-win mark and still managed to get to 52 — also crazy. The difference this year is only having 2 OTLs, which hurts their total points in the standings.
8. Joel Kiviranta’s first goal since the hat trick on Dec. 22. Love to see the bottom six depth get going offensively. Hopefully Miles Wood and Ross Colton follow suit pretty soon.
9. Per usual, Makar was shouting for the player of the game to wear the big hat before fielding questions from media. The victim this time was Drouin.
10. Jack Drury was carted to the x-ray room after the game. He was walking around just fine and walked in on his own. But just something to keep an eye on.