Reagan Smith
If you had turned off the Avalanche game within the first three minutes, you probably left feeling great. And if you didn’t tune in for the rest of the period, you were lucky. After a quick 2-0 lead generated within the first three minutes of the game, the Avalanche looked set to cruise to the finish. Apparently, that cruise control setting was set a little too soon because after some questionable defensive positioning and giveaways, the St. Louis Blues found themselves ahead 3-2 entering into the first intermission.
“I thought the first period was a track meet…,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. “I think we probably had more chances in the first period off the rush than we had all of last game. Problem was, so did they.”
The Avalanche came out firing to start the game. An early 5-on-3 opportunity set the Avs up for that explosive first period start that has eluded the team throughout much of the season. Colorado’s second goal, which came off of a faceoff, was one of the most well-executed plays from the Avs this season, too. Nathan MacKinnon fed Cale Makar off the draw who took the puck behind the net and set up a perfect wraparound attempt that turned into a pass to Gabriel Landeskog.
Ten minutes into the first, former Av and Blues’ captain Ryan O’Reilly pulled St. Louis within one. It was a sequence that left a lot to be desired as MacKinnon was swarmed by the Blues’ forecheck before having the puck poked free. O’Reilly went to put a centering pass toward the net, but Devon Toews’ stick deflected it into the goal. A few minutes later, O’Reilly tied the game off a pretty backhanded shot (and later secured his first career hatty with an empty netter).
The third Blues’ goal will be one that will stick with Avs fans for a while. Ryan Graves’ failed dump pass set Blues’ center Ivan Barbashev up for a perfect zone entry. Couple it with Makar’s dive on the backcheck and some bad puck luck, Barbeshev put the Blues ahead after a crazy sequence in front of the net.
After the game, Makar felt that he shared the blame for two of the goals the Avalanche allowed. “I think a lot of the goals tonight probably fall on me,” Makar said. “Two of them, at least, were my guy and I lost them.” Overall, though, Makar expressed that he thought that the defense held its own against St. Louis.
Still, the Avs settled themselves down in the second period and continued their habitual, dominant control of second periods. The Avs finished the second period with a team Corsi for percentage of nearly 82%. Spearheading the second period charge was none other than MacKinnon himself. MacKinnon entered the second having already extended his point streak to 13 games with two assists in the first. An Alexander Ovechkin like one-timer finish from the far-side circle put the Avs back even.
In regards to the third period, penalties were what ultimately sank Colorado. A Kadri holding penalty and a subsequent (and very unnecessary) Graves trip set St. Louis up with a 5-on-3. As the adage goes, if you can’t convert on your 5-on-3’s, you’re probably not going to win the game. Well, St. Louis converted… and quickly, too.
Bednar vocalized his displeasure with the number of penalties the Avs have taken in recent games, especially with the holding penalties. “If they’re going to check you, you can’t just grab on to them,” Bednar said. “We’ve got to be more disciplined than that.”
Otherwise, though, I thought the third period was pretty even. St. Louis is a team that’s fighting for their playoff lives, and they came away with a very gutsy win.
I also think a game like this makes it very easy to point fingers. You can make arguments that Graves was the catalyst for two Blues’ goals, or that Makar was not strong defensively, or even that Devan Dubnyk allowed way too many juicy rebounds. And they’re all valid arguments. However, this wasn’t a game where the Avalanche were thoroughly outplayed in my mind. Instead, the Blues made the Avalanche pay for the mistakes they made. If it weren’t for the sheer amount of shots that posted out for Colorado, this could have had a very different outcome.
Either way, these playoff-style matchups are needed for this team down the stretch if they want to be successful in the postseason.
“We need these types of games to get ready, obviously, for the playoffs,” Makar said. “They’re key for us. It’s just going to be playing consistent and just bringing our game.”