Good & Bad: Wild Slow Down OT, Beat Avalanche in Uneventful Shootout

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Avalanche came out with one point in one of the more defensive low-event games of the season.

Their six-game winning streak effectively came to an end.

Colorado fell 2-1 in the shootout to the Minnesota Wild, the team chasing the Avs in the Central Division standings.

Joel Kiviranta scored late in the third period to force OT and, in turn, guarantee one point in the standings for Jared Bednar’s club. The Avalanche fell to 39-24-3. Their 81 points are three up on the Wild, although Minnesota has a game in hand. The Avs also have a 34-29 advantage in the regulation wins tiebreaker.

After a scoreless first period and just 11 total shots, things started to open up in the second. Colorado had a 13-8 shot advantage in the middle frame but couldn’t get one past goalie Filip Gustavsson. The Wild netminder also had some help from his crossbar on the penalty kill.

On Colorado’s first power-play opportunity, Brock Nelson was set up for a one-timer from the circle, but it rang off the crossbar. Nelson thought he had scored before the replay confirmed that the puck stayed out.

The Avs finished 0-for-2 on the PP after getting a second chance before the break.

Midway through the second, Mats Zuccarello capitalized on an Avs turnover to make it 1-0. It’s just the second goal to beat an Avs netminder since the first period of Saturday’s game against Toronto.

The Wild held that lead until the final minutes of the third period. With just 5:40 remaining, defenseman Samuel Girard walked the blueline, did his vintage spin move, and fired it at the goal while on his backhand.

The floater was redirected by Kiviranta, catching the netminder by surprise to tie things up at 1-1.

That score held until overtime. With both teams gaining a point in the standings, Minnesota won the opening faceoff and seemed to be playing for the shootout.

It’s well-documented that Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood doesn’t do well in shootouts. The Wild held the puck for nearly two minutes after winning the first faceoff, consistently reloading back into their zone before the Avs got their first possession. Outside of a couple of chances in short order from Valeri Nichushkin and Girard, there wasn’t much else that happened in the five minutes.

Zuccarello and Matt Boldy scored in the shootout for Minnesota, and both Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas failed to capitalize. Colorado fell to 1-2 in the shootout but kept its point streak alive.

The Avs don’t play again until Friday, when they travel to Calgary to take on Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames.

Good: Fighting For That First Goal

Credit to the Avalanche for making something out of this game. It was a bad turnover in the defensive zone that directly led to the Zuccarello goal. But Colorado wasn’t going to let that be it.

Girard throwing the puck on goal with bodies in front is the type of dirty goal you need this time of year. They won’t always be nice passing plays or a finesse shot from one of your superstars.

On a night where those weren’t beating Gustavsson, a simple shot toward the goal is the best medicine. Kudos to the Avs for grinding through it. That point in the standings might end up being crucial when all is said and done.

Bad: OT Rules Need a Slight Configuration

Two games in a row with me getting on my high-horse to challenge the NHL rulebook. Who have I become?

I’ve felt for a while that the OT rules needed to be configured a bit, and tonight’s one of the main reasons why. I’m not sure which way the league needs to go, but there are ideas out there to ensure that what we saw in Minnesota doesn’t happen again. Should they implement a shot clock? I’m not fully on board with that idea, but I’ll list.

What about a rule similar to basketball’s backcourt violation?

That I can get more on board with. Once you enter the offensive zone, you can’t reload back into your end — whether it’s your blueline or the center ice red line. Just put something in place to stop a team from passing it back to their goalie to make a line change. Three-on-three OT can be very entertaining. But not when a team slows it down to this extent.