LOVELAND, Colo. — The Colorado Eagles have won four of their last five games despite the odds. Ivan Prosvetov earned his first shutout with the Eagles last night in his sixth victory with the Eagles. Tonight, he earned another shutout against the Henderson Silver Knights with a 2–0 victory. Unfortunately, Colorado received news that forward Oskar Olausson will have season ending shoulder surgery after playing just 39 games. Olausson had nine points in his last ten games played. Before the game tonight, Colorado and the Tucson Roadrunners were tied for second place, anticipating a rough road trip next week. Here are the takeaways from the Eagles’ fifth victory in a row.
Takeaways
— Ivan Prosvetov has been a significant change for the Eagles during the last month. Since Prosvetov joined the Eagles on February 4th, Colorado has gone 7-2. Those two losses are coming from Trent Miner, who has played outstanding this year himself. In the AHL this season, Prosvetov has played seven games and had seven wins. Two of them were shutouts. He has a 1.14 GAA and .961 save percentage.
Prosvetov with his 2nd straight shutout, 7th win and the Eagles now have won 5 in a row! #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/JexgpBptkd
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 25, 2024
Let's just say Prosvetov is on his game tonight….#Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/MgNgXvi3yj
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 25, 2024
“He’s been sent here to get some playing time,” said head coach Aaron Scheekloth. “And he’s taken full advantage of it, showcasing the qualities and strengths that he has in his game and he’s helping us win some hockey games. And he was outstanding, I’d say tonight, especially the last five minutes where we were kind of under a lot of pressure and they had a lot of time with the goalie. He was there to give our group a lot of confidence.”
— The Eagles now have won five straight games, one short of their season long six games. The earlier streak was January 20 to February 2, and they rocketed up from seventh place to fourth. Colorado, as of right now, holds the second place spot in the Pacific Division with Abbotsford ahead for the next two games.
Riley Tufte sends a pass to the top of the slot for Keaton Middleton to drop down and finish. Eagles up 2-0. #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/zNmU7ywVkn
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 25, 2024
— The Colorado Avalanche announced it today that Oskar Olausson will undergo shoulder surgery on Monday. It unfortunately will end his season.
“It’s disappointing where we feel for Oskar, obviously,” Schneekloth said. “We felt we had his offensive production and power play production on the rise and he was playing really good hockey before that injury. And nobody wants to hear that kind of news, but he’s gonna have a road to recovery and be ready for next season and he’s got a great, great attitude and great medical staff. We’re working with him, so he’ll come back stronger and ready. It’s disappointing. You never want to see a player.”
A shot-pass from Brad Hunt sets up Matt Stienburg for the redirect to the net to put the Eagles up 1-0. Secondary assist from Dalton Smith #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/rmKfubBh3g
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 25, 2024
Conclusion
As the Eagles are hitting their second longest stride of the year, they will hit the toughest part of the schedule. Two games in Abbotsford, where they hold a 2–1–1 record against the Canucks. The games have so far this season have been battling right down to the last minute. Then it will be on to Calgary to meet the Wranglers, who they have yet to win a game against in four matchups. Assuming that Prosvetov stays with the Eagles, these games could be close. Meanwhile, Justus Annunen has gotten a couple of games with the big club, but is mostly riding the bench.
Head Coach Aaron Schneekloth interview