A back-to-back game after a loss, tonight’s game for the Colorado Avalanche against the Ottawa Senators was a big unknown. Miles Wood returned from the flu and was a bonus. After calling up Justus Annunen from the Colorado Eagles, he got the job of starting goalie. Ping-pong scoring was the nature of the game throughout the first period. The Avalanche were behind heading into the third period but scored four unanswered goals to win convincingly. Mark Rycroft from Altitude Sports said it “No one took a shift off”. On a back-to-back game that says a lot about where this team is currently at. They played hard and played a great comeback game, winning 7–4.
Takeaways
— Throughout the game, Annunen showed focus and made key saves at critical moments. He held on to the puck, not giving up rebounds. The Avalanche players backed him up in net during the third, showing their support of his efforts in the game. He faced 40 shots on goal from the Senators, only giving up four and was very impressive.
OTT has 40 shots and Justus Annunen officially has a .900 SV% tonight.
GAA needs a little work but he’s done his part and then some. #GoAvsGo
— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) January 17, 2024
— Sam Malinski is proving the type of defenseman you want on your team. His defensive play is solid and offensively he is on the board scoring goals. His team mates are passing to him, so he can shoot the snipe shots. With one called back goal and one that was good, he played a noticeable part in this win.
Sam Malinski zips one home with just a second left on the power play, putting Colorado up 5-4!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/CD0sDVqkZf
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 17, 2024
— Everyone could feel Miles Woods’ presence. During the first intermission interview with Katie Gaus from AltitudeTV, he commented on doing short shifts, as he still was not feeling well. You wouldn’t have known it. His speed and tenacity were what we’re used to seeing. His return helped the Avalanche achieve the win tonight.
Wood is one of those guys who changes the game with his speed and effort to the benefit of his linemates in a big way. A chaos machine with a little anger built in.
— #AVSFAM (@avsfam) January 17, 2024
— The other two unsung heroes on the Avalanche team at the moment are Logan O’Connor and Samuel Girard. O’Connor is fearless. He pestered his Senator opponents and went in for the hit to slow down the opposition, no matter what. His game tonight was relentless, and he had a goal to show for it. Sam Girard is the quiet achiever. Both his defensive and offensive games are solid. Despite not being mentioned a lot, his presence on the ice strengthens the defensive core.
Conclusion
The Avalanche added another two points to their tally. So far, they are two wins and one loss on this road trip. Time for the team to have some much needed rest tomorrow before facing the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Artturi Lehkonen is with the team, so we may see him in one of the upcoming games. And Bo Byram may be close to returning too. Both players will add value.