What separates the Avalanche of new from the Avalanche of old earlier this season is that they’re still able to win these games. Colorado gave away far too many games to count that were winnable — where the expectation was to win. That includes the first meeting against the Montreal Canadiens in January.
But now, when they flex their dominance early and sit back — a trend that needs to be cleaned up in itself — they’re still able to come out with two points.
Colorado let a multi-goal third-period lead slip away before winning it in the shootout on Saturday. The Habs erased a three-goal deficit, but goals from Charlie Coyle and Brock Nelson were the difference after overtime, pushing the Avs to a 5-4 victory.
Colorado is 10-1-1 in its last 12 games and returns to Denver for a four-game homestand, where Jared Bednar’s club hasn’t lost since before they traded Mikko Rantanen.
Sam Malinski, Ryan Lindgren, Martin Necas, and Nelson scored for the Avalanche, who pulled within three points of Dallas, which still has two games in hand on the Avs. Colorado and Dallas seem destined for a first-round matchup but home-ice advantage has yet to be determined. Albeit it’s heavily in Dallas’ favor.
Just like they did two nights prior in Ottawa, the Avs came out strong in the first period. Against Ottawa, it was a 4-0 lead before the break. This time it was a 2-0 lead, which quickly became 3-0 after Necas’ power-play goal early in the middle frame.
Malinski tallied first, scoring for the first time in a month. He has a goal and four assists in six games since the trade deadline. He’s also a +7 in that stretch and has slotted in nicely in an elevated role with Samuel Girard or Josh Manson available in the last handful of games.
Later in the third period, Nelson redirected a point shot by Devon Toews to open up a 4-1 Avs lead.
But the Habs started to push. And they got three goals in less than six minutes. By the time the third period was at the midway point, the score was knotted up at 4-4 and the raucous Bell Centre crowd felt like the type of atmosphere that could run a road team out of town.
Not these Avs. They’ve, unfortunately out of experience, learned how to keep their head in a game that seems to be slipping away. Last Sunday they dominated the Dallas Stars for most of regulation and led 3-1 before two goals in less than a minute late in the thir set them up for overtime. It was a lot like that — albeit without the home crowd on their side.
In OT, Colorado had a power play but failed to capitalize. It seemed like a game that was primed to be an upset. But in the shootout, Mackenzie Blackwood found his stride and let in just one goal from four shooters. Colorado scored on its first shot from Coyle before Nelson won the game in the fourth round.
Blackwood finished with 24 saves as the Avs outshot Montreal 37-29, including a 7-1 advantage in OT. Sam Montembeault was up to the task for the Habs.
Good: Brock Nelson Is Producing
The first thing I thought of after the Avs traded for Nelson on March 7 was how emotional he was postgame in his last game with the Islanders. That was the only place he’d ever called home and it felt, at least to me, like he might need an adjustment regardless of where he lands.
Then he came out and hit the post on his first shift against the Leafs and it seemed like the transition would be easier. That obviously wasn’t the case.
These last two games looked far more comfortable for him. It helps to get that first goal out of the way with a new team to not have it top of mind every time a goalie stops you. Nelson added another against Ottawa after the fact and then tallied a third goal in two games in Montreal. That’s the guy Colorado traded for.
I’m excited to see him get more comfortable as the playoffs inch closer.
Bad: Giving Away Late Leads
It has happened earlier in the season, but at this point, letting a game like that slip away would be unacceptable. The Avalanche are playing some of their best hockey all season but are still nearly letting the other team steal one. That killer instinct needs to be worked on no matter which building they’re playing in.
As I said, it’s great that they can still win despite that. But closing out a game like they did in Ottawa should be the goal — and the norm — for a team as talented as this.
Kudos, too, to Blackwood for figuring things out in the shootout. And to Bednar for letting Coyle start things off after his usual picks failed to inspire confidence in previous shootout games.
