Friday’s Colorado Eagles game in San Jose yielded plenty of victories. Ben Meyers scored three goals, Riley Tufte assisted on all of them and Keaton Middleton scored his first goal of the season.
The 5–2 win came from more than just a tight offensive strategy and execution. While the ultimate goal was achieved, there was also plenty of room for improvement.
First period
The first frame of the contest did not take long to get underway. Meyers scored his first of three goals at 3:07, helped by Tufte and Wyatt Aamodt.
Wasting no time in San Jose😤 pic.twitter.com/PICWkW3dXI
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) November 18, 2023
The Eagles received their first power play on a tripping call at 7:20, to which Oskar Olausson quickly capitalized off of to put Colorado at an early advantage.
Nate Clurman found himself in the box for fighting just after the 16:00 mark, giving the Barracuda got their own power play opportunity.
With 2:46 left to go in the first period, San Jose gets lucky. Justus Annunen had the puck covered, but it came free, allowing the Barracuda to net one of their two goals for the night.
Colorado clearly dominated the first period. They ended the opening 20 minutes with 12 shots on goal, whereas their opponent only put up five.
Second period
There was not much to be said about the second period. Just 25 seconds after the puck was dropped, Meyers, aided by Tufte and Corey Schueneman, netted his second goal of the night, bringing the score to 3–1.
Have a night Ben Meyers! pic.twitter.com/bkLgxGooaw
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) November 18, 2023
The Eagles proved the effectiveness of their penalty kill, though. Dalton Smith and Nate Clurman both spent a couple of minutes in the box, but Meyers remained the only goal scored.
In contrast to the first period, the middle 20 minutes were much slower. The Eagles only put up five shots while San Jose put up 10.
Third period
The Barracuda still had more to give despite a quiet second period. A goal at 7:31 brought the game back within one goal.
While most of the period was spent locked in a 3–2 score, Meyers once again broke the ice at 19:05 after taking advantage of San Jose’s empty net. Tanner Kero and Tufte assisted on his final goal.
In the final 20 minutes, Keaton Middleton scored a goal right before the game ended, resulting in a 5–2 win.
& that's a Ben Meyers HAT TRICK pic.twitter.com/6SwAFnu9fB
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) November 18, 2023
Analysis
— The first period was really great in terms of offensive pressure. The Eagles spent a significant amount of time in the offensive zone and put up 12 shots in the first period. The third period was another example of the offensive strength, putting up 10 shots.
— The defense was really clean. San Jose was kept to five attempts in the first period.
— Similar to their affiliate, the Eagles are solid on the penalty kill. With 15 minutes of penalties committed and six possible opportunities for their opponent, the Eagles kept San Jose to only one goal.
The Eagles will return to Loveland next weekend to host the Texas Stars.