Good & Bad
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.
Avalanche Game 69 at Toronto Maple Leafs: Lines, Notes & How To Watch
Deen’s Daily: Latest Manson Update; Eastern Conference Wildcard Race Heats Up
Avs’ Manson Could Miss a Significant Amount of Time
Deen’s Daily: An Upbeat Landeskog Joins Practice; Avs Goalie Depth; Florida Misses Ekblad
Gabriel Landeskog Joins First Practice With Avalanche — Still Not Taking Contact
10 Observations: Mackenzie Blackwood Is a Shootout Dud (+)
Could the Avalanche Have the Best Second Line in the NHL?
Digging Through the Numbers From the Avalancheโs Perfect Homestand
10 Observations: Sign Me Up For Seven Games of Avalanche vs Stars in April (+)
Avalanche Mailbag: Do the Avalanche Regret Trading Rantanen? Will Nelson Re-Sign? Is Bednar Still Underrated?
Happy to have the point. 5pts out of six playing three games in four days – solid.
Sammy Gโs playing well!
A point is better then nothing.
But boys have 2 days to regroup.
Does anyone think wedgewood should be starter? Is there any rule on changing goalies for shootout
No shootout in playoffs, so who cares. We are possibly finishing 2nd but most likely 3rd, a few lost points to SO will not matter.
You are allowed to change goalies for a shootout, but I don’t think anyone ever has done that.
Bednar answered this on the radio today, he said if it was a season long trend they might look into it but doesnโt like risking injury by putting g a cold goalie right into game action and end by saying itโs not in the playoffs anyway so he wasnโt too concerned about it
Blackwood was excellent otherwise, but those were some of the worst attempts at stopping a shot I’ve ever seen in a shootout.
Worst lifetime overtime. I was anticipating a good show and the opposite happened. I’m amazed that the Wild fans didn’t boo their own team. It seems like this is the kind of show they’re used to paying for. I hope Brock Nelson, a native of Minnesota, takes notes.
Not just OT. But the game in general. Anytime I see the Wild on the schedule I groan. They play the most bland boring brand of hockey one could ever envision. This was the very definition of a “low event” game.
The Avs didn’t play very well for the majority of the game. But there’s really not much else to take away from this. Other than I want those 2 hrs & 45 mins of my life back. And I’m glad I don’t have to watch a 7 game series of that brand of hockey.
A change in the rules would be beneficial for the show. As soon as a player enters the opposing zone with the puck, he should not be able to pass to a teammate outside the zone or get out of control of the puck in the opposing zone. A defenseman shouldn’t be able to stop behind his net with the puck. Failure to comply with these rules would automatically result in a penalty (4 vs 3). Gary Bettman can call me at 1-811-912-1921 to discuss this.
wouldn’t that make a team like the Wild not enter the zone as much?
I think the easiest OT fix is to just make it 10 minutes, like it was for the Four Nations. That extended time encourages more chances, because it’s a lot harder to delay 10 minutes than it is five, like we saw the Wild do.
How about this scenario: Once you cross the blue line into the o-zone you can’t take it back past the center line. At this point the o-zone then extends to the center line, so there is a little more room to reset, cross the center line it and it’s a face-off in your D-zone.
I agree except that I’d keep the blue line. I’ve said that crossing the red line after you’ve been in the o-zone should be like icing. Offending team can’t change players, but the other team can. Now defenders can pressure more, knowing the space is limited.
I can’t believe the NHL hasn’t;t addressed this already. On second thought, I guess, given the NHL “leadership”,I can believe it. I agree with Kelly and hockey hacker. Any version of once crossing the blue line, any regression over the redline must result in a whistle and some action. Could be a face-off in the center zone, could be considered icing (my choice), or a penalty. It is unbelievable this insult to the game gas continued this long.
Lots of rules that should be truly considered in the offseason, like OT, Playoff seeding, LTIR and the playoff cap, etc. Two games now that the Avs offense has not looked good. I think the lines are okay, but the team needs to shoot the puck more and they need to carry the puck up the ice more often, rather than always looking to pass for a breakaway. Necas turnover could have been avoided had he just skated forward with the puck. It did not look like there was anyone in front of him. Why pass when he has a… Read more »
The Necas turnover was just brain dead hockey. This happens far too often with this team. Ill advised clearouts and passes to nowhere. I know there is some anticipation going on but to center the puck blindly and give up possession isn’t the best hockey move. If you clearly do not have ANYONE in the area you are trying to pass to, cycle it along the boards and maintain puck possession. I still do not like Bedsy line potpourri. Gee, I want everyone to be comfortable playing with everyone else. This ain’t a Boy or Girl Scout Meeting. Keep Mac,… Read more »
For getting in at 4 in the morning and playing the night before I’ll happily take the point. If MN hadn’t put on the most gutless performance ever in OT Avs would have won the game.
I’m not going to worry about Nelson and Coy last night. Been a whirlwind week adjusting to time changes galore, including daylight savings time. Has to be a bit tough.
Sucks to loose in the shootout portion when we had all the skill players.