The Avalanche entered the third period in Dallas on Friday trailing by three goals. They scored one, then another, but unlike Game 1 of last year’s playoff series, they couldn’t get that third goal. The result: An eventual empty-net goal for the Stars, who defeated the Avs 5-3 at American Airlines Center. And to make matters worse, the Avs suffered yet another injury to a key player.
Colorado got goals from Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, and Mikko Rantanen. In goal, Alexandar Georgiev got the nod and made 19 saves. Colorado outshot Dallas 11-5 in the third period and 32-24 overall.
The scoring began early and on the power play. Both teams were getting whistled for penalties often throughout the first 40 minutes, which began with a hooking minor against Avs forward Nikolai Kovalenko. Dallas didn’t have much going on the power play until the very end and capitalized on its one opportunity. Tyler Seguin scored his ninth of the year to make it 1-0.
The Avs answered back just a few minutes later. They first drew a penalty and then scored on the power play. Nichushkin, who had the only goal against Vegas on Wednesday, got his third of the year and first on the man advantage. Mason Marchment answered back 36 seconds later to give the Stars another lead. They went on to control play from then until the third period when the Avs began to take over.
Jake Oettinger was great in goal for Dallas, finishing with 29 saves. Oettinger and the Stars’ PK were great on the other four man-advantage opportunities the Avs got after Nichushkin’s goal.
Good: Cale Makar’s insane assist — Colorado’s late push
It’s hard to credit the Avalanche for a comeback push that fell short. But it’s also worth noting it when you’re playing in Dallas against one of the best home records in the NHL. The Avs trailed 4-1 but came out strong to start the third. They first got a goal from Lehkonen, who fired it through Oettinger while Nichushkin was driving to the net. Then, Rantanen scored a vintage Rantanen goal, wiring home a one-timer from the right circle to make it 4-3 with 11:57 remaining in regulation.
The Rantanen goal was impressive, but, my goodness, the play from Makar leading to the goal was one for the highlight reels. In the words of ESPN’s Arda Ocal, When Makar decides it’s time for a goal, it’s time for a goal.
Bad: Another Injury
Last Saturday, the Avs scored seven goals on the defending Stanley Cup champs with a healthy lineup minus Ross Colton and Gabriel Landeskog. In the three games since, they’ve lost forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood, defenseman Oliver Kylington, and now they’ve lost defenseman Josh Manson.
Manson left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.
Manson was favoring his hand or wrist area at the time of the collision with the boards and went right off the ice. He dropped his stick and glove on his way to the bench. It’s unclear at this time if Manson is expected to miss time, although I find it hard to believe he’ll be ready for Saturday’s quick turn-around home game against the Edmonton Oilers. Colorado has John Ludvig healthy and available and will likely use him at Ball Arena unless Kylington is ready to return by then.
Bad: The Early Goalie Pull
With the Avs trailing 4-3, head coach Jared Bednar pulled Georgiev with 2:51 remaining. The analytics are on Bednar’s side, but I struggle with the thought that this was the right time. On one hand, Bednar has proof of concept and world-class players on the ice to find the game-tying goal with a 6-on-5 advantage. But on the other hand, with nearly three minutes remaining, it’s hard to convince me that pulling a goalie before cycling the puck and having control is the right move.
Yes, the Avs won the faceoff. Yes, the puck only went the other way because of a miscue on the pass from Nathan MacKinnon to Makar. But, had Bednar instead waited for his team to comfortably cycle the puck in the offensive zone, perhaps they would’ve had a better chance to tie things up. I’m likely grasping at straws and it’s only the 24th game of the season after all. But it was a somewhat puzzling move at first glance. Especially since the team had played well at 5-on-5 all period.
The Avs have already surrendered 10 empty-net goals this season. They only gave up 13 in the entire 2023-24 season.
