COLvsDAL Archives - The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/tag/colvsdal/ Chicago Blackhawks and NHL Salary Cap Information Sat, 28 Sep 2024 04:13:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/www.the-rink.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-FavIcon_v3.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 COLvsDAL Archives - The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/tag/colvsdal/ 32 32 136660061 Avalanche fall short 4–2 in second preseason game https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-short-4-2-in-second-preseason-game/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-short-4-2-in-second-preseason-game/#respond Sat, 28 Sep 2024 03:03:56 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=31713 Preseason games are games that you always have to take with a grain of salt. On one hand, it is a chance for some veterans to get their “legs” back,... Read more »

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]]> Preseason games are games that you always have to take with a grain of salt. On one hand, it is a chance for some veterans to get their “legs” back, and prospects can make a name for themselves. One thing to always remember is that these games do not count towards anything but a warmup to the season. The Colorado Avalanche were looking for revenge after losing in the last second on Monday night. Here are my standout players as the Avalanche fall short 4–2 to the Dallas Stars.

Keaton Middleton

Keaton Middleton is in the last year of his two-year extension and appears that he does not want another one. The lumbering defenseman has been slow to get to the corner on almost every play. Middleton’s reach has been the big thing that has worked for him, but his skating has improved little since last season. With the defensive core being so deep this season, I unfortunately do not see Middleton getting a call-up based on his performance over the first two games.

Sam Malinski

Sam Malinski solidified his spot on the Avalanche roster even more tonight with a play in the game. Malinski was diving in front of pucks to block shots and setting up passes down the ice for the offense. During the power play, Malinski showed he could run the unit and have it succeed by working the puck around the zone. He definitely made it a harder decision for the coaching staff after tonight to send him to Loveland.

 

Nikolai Kovalenko

Nikolai Kovalenko had two assists tonight, one of them while on the power play. We saw the style of play that we were expecting at the end of last season from Kovalenko. He was crashing the net and creating chaos down low to help set up the power play goal for Ivan Ivan. His rushes to the net reminded me a lot of a smaller Gabriel Landeskog. We even saw sparks of his speed throughout the game. Kovalenko was not playing his natural center position, but he adjusted well on the wing, making a case for the opening night roster.

Conclusion

It is the preseason and a couple of losses are nothing to get upset over, especially in the first two games. Considering that the Avalanche fielded an AHL roster tonight and still put up a fight was impressive. It gives us hope for what the Colorado Eagles may have brewing in Loveland, putting together a solid roster themselves. Malinski and Kovalenko showed us what the young talent on this team can do, and what we should be excited about. The Avalanche will be back at it on Sunday night in Denver against the new Utah Hockey Club at 5 P.M.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-short-4-2-in-second-preseason-game/feed/ 0 31713 Avalanche lose preseason debut 3–2 to Dallas Stars, Ritchie shines https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-lose-preseason-debut-3-2-to-dallas-stars-ritchie-shines/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-lose-preseason-debut-3-2-to-dallas-stars-ritchie-shines/#respond Tue, 24 Sep 2024 04:50:56 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=31691 Hockey is finally back! Well, preseason hockey anyway. The first official (though not-counting) Colorado Avalanche game of the year saw Ball Arena host the Dallas Stars. Avalanche faithful from all-around... Read more »

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]]> Hockey is finally back!

Well, preseason hockey anyway. The first official (though not-counting) Colorado Avalanche game of the year saw Ball Arena host the Dallas Stars. Avalanche faithful from all-around tuned in to watch most of this game. I say most because ESPN+, the only provider broadcasting the game outside of the Dallas market, ended coverage near the start of the third period.

The Stars went ahead early on a 5-on-3 power play, but the young Avalanche stormed back in the second period to seize a 2–1 lead that held until late in the third. Heartbreak would come as a tied game became a defeat, with just .2 seconds remaining on the clock when a scramble in the crease saw Dallas put the game away as the buzzer sounded.

Losing a preseason game doesn’t matter. We all know preseason hockey is primarily about earning your spot on the final roster. As such, we are going to look at the biggest risers and fallers in terms of the stock each player who stood out has in making the final cut.

Risers

Calum Ritchie

All eyes were on the rookie from Brampton, Ontario, who has been easily the most lauded rookie for Colorado since Alex Newhook. Unlike Newhook, Calum Ritchie looks primed to make a major impact on the Avalanche roster in his first season. Ritchie displayed an active and athletic forecheck, including a few big hits. That’s exactly the effort coach Jared Bednar seems to look for from younger players. Ritchie also displayed his elite vision and passing as he scored the second goal of the game on the power play. Ritchie wired what would have been a third straight beautiful pass across the crease that then deflected from a Dallas defender and into the back of the net. First goal? Check. Now Ritchie needs to keep rolling throughout camp and the remaining preseason games to show the coaches why Cal isn’t just short for Calum. It could be short for Calder, too.

Matthew Phillips

Most Avalanche fans considered Matthew Phillips, the AHL/NHL “tweener,” an afterthought when the team signed him near the end of the off-season. Not so after tonight. The 26-year-old, undersized, winger has spent the last four seasons between the AHL and stints with the Flames, Penguins, and Capitals. Is Colorado where he catches on for a depth role? If nothing else, tonight shows that Eagles’ fans will have an exciting player on their hands. Phillips flashed game breaking acceleration and incredible touch on the puck during his action in the first preseason game. While the first goal belonged to Phillips, the coaches might focus more on the routine “effort plays” he showed nearly every shift. Diving for loose pucks, throwing the body on guys thrice his size, and forechecking in the neutral zone to create turnovers were all on the menu for Phillips. He played like he knew he would have to earn every minute of ice time he gets, and he wasn’t wrong. Earn that time he did.

Justus Annunen

Justus Annunen saved 14 of 15 for a total .933 save percentage in his first half-game of the pre-season. Although a goal was given up in a five on three, it is warranted to dig deeper into Annunen’s performance to see just how good he was. Annunen faced eight high-danger chances (compared to Trent Miner facing just three in the second half of the game) and saved seven. That included this eye-watering leg extension to rob a sure goal.

Annunen picked up right where he left last year: looking like the best goalie on the Colorado Avalanche.

Fallers


Calle Rosen

I don’t think any of us really expected Calle Rosen to compete for the NHL roster in his second stint with the Eagles. Rosen took several gruesome penalties and punctuated the time he spent on the ice with multiple turnovers. Rosen will provide the Eagles with quality, veteran depth but someone had to be in the fallers category. If we see Rosen in an Avalanche jersey looking like he did in this game, then something has gone very wrong with the health of other Avalanche defenders.

Keaton Middleton

Keaton Middleton provides grit and physicality to the AHL defensive corps. He was very physical, but if you are coaching, you certainly hope to see more, as you would say, legal physicality. Middleton didn’t take the most penalties in a penalty filled game, but he took the ugliest. Middleton is still the player he had been in previous Eagles appearances, but this is likely where his chances of cracking the NHL roster end.

Conclusion

Don’t overreact to the preseason, but if you do, then instead of looking at this game as a loss, Avalanche faithful should see a promising young crop that is going to challenge for playing time in the show. The Avalanche are back in action on Friday in Dallas for a rematch at 6:00pm MT. The game is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+, but hopefully they will broadcast the entire match this time.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-lose-preseason-debut-3-2-to-dallas-stars-ritchie-shines/feed/ 0 31691 Duchene wins it in double OT, eliminates Avalanche https://www.the-rink.com/duchene-wins-it-in-double-ot-eliminates-avalanche/ https://www.the-rink.com/duchene-wins-it-in-double-ot-eliminates-avalanche/#respond Sat, 18 May 2024 07:59:50 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30896 The Colorado Avalanche fought as hard as they could and dragged the season out as long as possible. As they turned everything around in game five, but it was a... Read more »

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]]> The Colorado Avalanche fought as hard as they could and dragged the season out as long as possible. As they turned everything around in game five, but it was a battle of attrition in game six. Colorado would take the Dallas Stars all the way to double overtime trying to stay in the hunt for the Cup. Zach Parise was fighting to keep his NHL career alive, having announced that he will retire at the end of playoffs. The Avalanche jumped into tonight’s game, scoring first for the first time all series. Here are my takeaways from the 2–1 double overtime loss to the Dallas

Takeaways

— The Avalanche obviously had issues clearing the puck out of the zone again. I had mentioned that this was a problem in game four, but during the first overtime it was an enormous problem. During the first overtime, the Avalanche officially had four shots on goal. They had seven scoring chances, but Dallas had 12 chances. The puck was getting in deep and the Avalanche were having problems carrying the puck out of their own zone. In the first overtime, Colorado would spend over two minutes in their own zone.

— The Avalanche did not get double digit shots on goal in any period this game. For a team that averaged 33 shots per game (fifth in the league), they sure were not shooting like it. Colorado was failing to drive to the net. On top of that, they could not get the puck in the offensive zone for any extended periods. The most shots on goal that they could muster in a period were nine. Dallas peppered Alexandar Georgiev all night long, and for extended shifts.

— Georgiev is the one that kept the Avalanche in the game. Multiple mistakes by the defensive core meant Georgiev had to scramble to cover the net. He would keep the Stars scoreless in the first overtime, even through extended shifts by Dallas despite brief respite. His .949 save percentage is exactly what the Avalanche needed from him. He was calm and collected in the crease compared to earlier in the season where he looked panicked.

Conclusion

You can blame Valeri Nichushkin all you want for the loss in this series, but there is a certain point where Colorado had to move on. It became obvious they did that in game five of the series. Was it a shock to them? Yes. But head coach Jared Bednar said he did not want to use that as an excuse. Now it is time to look towards the future. The Avalanche are in a unique salary cap situation. The unknown status of Gabriel Landeskog, if Nichushkin will/can come back, and what unrestricted free agents they try to keep. We will have answers to these questions in the coming months. In the meantime, rest up, relax and recover.

 

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/duchene-wins-it-in-double-ot-eliminates-avalanche/feed/ 0 30896 Makar and MacKinnon step up in game five victory https://www.the-rink.com/makar-and-mackinnon-step-up-in-game-five-victory/ https://www.the-rink.com/makar-and-mackinnon-step-up-in-game-five-victory/#respond Thu, 16 May 2024 04:12:11 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30876 It was a win or go home situation for the first time this year for the Colorado Avalanche. They were facing elimination against the Dallas Stars in game five of... Read more »

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]]> It was a win or go home situation for the first time this year for the Colorado Avalanche. They were facing elimination against the Dallas Stars in game five of the second round of the playoffs. After playing one of the worst games they had played in recent memory, the Avalanche had a lot to improve upon. The top-six needed to step up in ways that it had not been doing. The defensive core needed to tighten things up so that Alexandar Georgiev could play his game and not worry about them. Here are the takeaways from the 5–3 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Takeaways

— Cale Makar really stepped up in a big way for the Avalanche tonight. He produced two goals in just over 26 minutes of ice time. In his previous 9 playoff games, Makar had only produced three goals. One of those goals was against Dallas in game one. Since then, the Stars have shut down Makar. He looked a lot more comfortable tonight, handling the puck and skating through the zone.

— Nathan MacKinnon openly admitted to the press that he did not play well in game four. His zero points and a minus three were all the media could concentrate on. Tonight was a different story. MacKinnon awoke the beast and was carrying the puck through the neutral zone and making more attempts on the net. He would end the night with one goal and one assist and a plus one.

— Special teams were everything that you would want it to be tonight. In the last eight power play chances, the Avalanche could not convert to score. Tonight, they scored twice on three chances. The penalty against Chris Tanev for high-sticking Mikko Rantanen may have been the game changer. Even though it was only a two-minute minor, the Avalanche wasted no time as Makar pocketed his second of the night. The penalty kill unit also killed three of four, making an enormous difference in the game.

Conclusion

This was the complete opposite of what we saw in game four on Monday night. The Avalanche were more aggressive and quicker to the puck. Yeah, you say that athletes have to put feelings aside when things happen, but the Valeri Nichushkin issue clearly affected them. And I don’t blame them one bit. But they looked as if they moved on tonight and adjusted their game. If the Avalanche go into game six on Friday night anything like this, Dallas better watch out.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/makar-and-mackinnon-step-up-in-game-five-victory/feed/ 0 30876 Morale takes beating as Avalanche lose game four to Stars https://www.the-rink.com/morale-takes-beating-as-avalanche-lose-game-four-to-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/morale-takes-beating-as-avalanche-lose-game-four-to-stars/#respond Tue, 14 May 2024 05:51:23 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30864 Morale for the Colorado Avalanche was pretty low on Monday night as they received bad news right before game four against the Dallas Stars. Valerie Nichushkin was going to be... Read more »

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]]> Morale for the Colorado Avalanche was pretty low on Monday night as they received bad news right before game four against the Dallas Stars. Valerie Nichushkin was going to be entering Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and receive a six-month suspension. On top of that, the Avalanche got news that their star defenseman, Devon Toews, would be out of the game because of an illness. Alexandar Georgiev would do his best in the first period to keep Colorado in the game, but the dam eventually broke. On the bright side, Jonathan Drouin returned from injury tonight. Here are my takeaways from the 5–1 loss to the Dallas Stars. 

Takeaways

— Colorado failed to exit their own zone the entire game. They struggled to get the puck out of the defensive zone in the first period, allowing 16 shots on goal. The Avalanche were lucky to escape the period with only one goal against. Georgiev was looking like classic Georgiev as he was making save after save. 

 

— Colorado failed to forecheck throughout the game. Their bread and butter has become to put pressure on the opposing team and they were not doing that tonight. Dallas was beating them to the puck and then out skating them. Having to dump and change was not helping, either. By the time the Avalanche were gaining possession of the puck, it was the end of the shift and time to change. This was leading to them chasing Dallas in the offensive zone from the start of the shift to the end of the shift. The one time Colorado did forecheck, it led to Casey Mittelstadt’s goal.

 

— Caleb Jones may not be the option if Toews is still sick in game five. Jones was plus one only because he was on the ice during Mittelstadt’s goal. But he had two penalties that cost the Avalanche momentum and Dallas converted on the penalty. The Avalanche may need to go with a more offensively minded defenseman like Same Malinski. He would bring some play that is like Cale Makar in style, as well as some aggressiveness to the blue line. 

 

Conclusion

The Avalanche will need to learn to play without the efforts of Valeri Nichushkin in the lineup. Yes, he brings a lot to the table, but Colorado needs to adjust and quickly. Drouin can bring some offensive power back to the lineup, but not in the same way that Nichushkin did. Drouin will have to use his speed and snapshot to his advantage. Failure to make the adjustments for these two will doom the Avalanche to an early exit. They will head to Dallas on Wednesday for game five and try to avoid elimination.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/morale-takes-beating-as-avalanche-lose-game-four-to-stars/feed/ 0 30864 Avalanche fail to find groove in game three against Dallas Stars https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fail-to-find-groove-in-game-three-against-dallas-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fail-to-find-groove-in-game-three-against-dallas-stars/#respond Sun, 12 May 2024 05:18:24 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30846 The Colorado Avalanche returned home from Dallas after a split road trip. The Colorado Avalanche had a tough time in their last matchup against the Dallas Stars, but they found... Read more »

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]]> The Colorado Avalanche returned home from Dallas after a split road trip. The Colorado Avalanche had a tough time in their last matchup against the Dallas Stars, but they found their groove late in the game and fought against the clock with their effort.

With a 5–3 loss on Thursday and the series tied at one, the return to Ball Arena would be crucial. The Avalanche have not led a game at any point during the series, and a first period push from Dallas kept the trend going.

Overview

As opposed to game two, game three didn’t have game-changing penalties. Rather, the team struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first period. Spending 20 minutes out of sync in the offensive zone proved too deadly.

Dallas got on the board at the end of the first period, leaving the Avalanche scrambling to gain a lead.

The team was consistently missing passes and over skating pucks. Dallas picked up the pucks left for teammates and ran with them without hesitation.

The second period held a better performance, even resulting in a goal from Mikko Rantanen off of a rebound from Nathan MacKinnon. Not only was this goal a relief on the scoreboard, but it also was a stark contrast from the game two statistics. Neither Rantanen nor MacKinnon recorded a shot, which is not a good look for two top-line forwards.

The Avalanche consistently outshot the Stars, and their lone goal took 20 shots to find. Colorado had several chances in high-danger zones, but Stars goalie Jake Oettinger seemed to beat them to the punch every time.

A second Stars goal going on the scoreboard killed Colorado’s momentum, leaving the team at a 2-1 deficit at the end of the second period.

The home team found their saving grace in the performance of Alexandar Georgiev, who has been locked in since the series against the Winnipeg Jets. He had several clutch saves to keep the game within reach for Colorado.

The coach pulled Georgiev from the ice late in the third period in favor of the extra attacker. The team could not keep the puck under control in the offensive zone, allowing the Stars to net two additional goals.

Takeaways

In games like this, especially in the series against Dallas, the game changers come down to the little things. The Avalanche could not convert on any of their three power plays and had 12 giveaways.

The top defensive pair picked up five shots on goal each, with MacKinnon and Rantanen each picking up four. At the very least, this is an improvement from their last showing, where MacKinnon and Rantanen came up empty.

The team failed to play a full 60 minutes, appearing lackadaisical in the third period despite the Stars clearly becoming fatigued.

The two teams will face off again on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Denver.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fail-to-find-groove-in-game-three-against-dallas-stars/feed/ 0 30846 Avalanche comeback falls short in loss to Stars https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-comeback-falls-short-in-loss-to-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-comeback-falls-short-in-loss-to-stars/#respond Fri, 10 May 2024 05:53:41 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30833 After a hard fought battle in game one, which the Colorado Avalanche won in overtime, the Dallas Stars were looking for payback. The Stars came out of the gate swinging... Read more »

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]]> After a hard fought battle in game one, which the Colorado Avalanche won in overtime, the Dallas Stars were looking for payback. The Stars came out of the gate swinging and would not allow the Avalanche to set up in the offensive zone for a good portion of the first period. Trouble getting out of their own zone for most of the game and penalties would only help the Stars on their way to victory. Here are my takeaways as the comeback fell short, and the Avalanche lost 5–3 to the Dallas Stars in game two.

Takeaways

— The Avalanche were not aggressive enough in their own zone. Forwards were not stepping up on the defensemen to take the puck away. The Colorado defense frequently drifted to one side, leaving the back door wide open. This happened on the first goal for the Stars. A quick pass across the zone helped, but everyone had shifted to one side.

— The Avalanche need to stop hurting themselves. Throughout the night, the Avalanche had six penalties and gave the Stars five power play chances. Dallas was able to convert on two of those five chances. The Avalanche could have easily prevented four out of the six penalties. Nathan MacKinnon and Josh Manson both threw the puck over the net, incurring a delay of game penalties. The Avalanche were penalized not only once, but twice, for having too many men on the ice. Watch who you are changing for. I get it, you are trying to gain that extra step, but this has become a recurring problem for Colorado in the playoffs.

— There was a very questionable hit in the second period by Jamie Benn on Devon Toews. As Toews was going around the net with his head down and shoulder lowered, Benn slammed into him. The impact of the hit drove Toews’ head into Wyatt Johnston’s chest, causing whiplash. Officials would review the play and not make a call, but Toews had to leave the game for a short time for concussion protocol. The play itself was dangerous on both ends. Toews had his head down and Benn made contact very close to the head.

— The three-goal comebacks are not sustainable. The Avalanche have five comeback wins where they were down by three goals. This is more than any other team this year. It is also not a good way to play hockey. It is always exhausting to trail and fight your way back.

Conclusion

The Avalanche will need to clean up the penalties that only hurt themselves and help the Stars. Dallas is converting their power play chances at a 30.3 percent rate, the fourth highest of playoff teams. The ice was an issue because of the heat in Dallas today, Colorado will have to take advantage of the faster ice when they get home. The Avalanche will need to score early and often. Scoring early and gaining momentum will make them unstoppable. The Avalanche will meet the Stars again for game three on Saturday night in Denver.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-comeback-falls-short-in-loss-to-stars/feed/ 0 30833 Wood has career moment to win in OT for Avalanche https://www.the-rink.com/wood-has-career-moment-to-win-in-ot-for-avalanche/ https://www.the-rink.com/wood-has-career-moment-to-win-in-ot-for-avalanche/#respond Wed, 08 May 2024 06:11:31 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=30803 After taking a week off to recover from the Winnipeg series, the Colorado Avalanche are back at it against the Dallas Stars. It would take some time for the Avalanche... Read more »

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]]> After taking a week off to recover from the Winnipeg series, the Colorado Avalanche are back at it against the Dallas Stars. It would take some time for the Avalanche to get their legs back, but not the Stars. Dallas last played on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights. So, understandably, there was going to be an adjustment period for Colorado to get to full speed once more. Alexandar Georgiev had fans worried once again at the beginning of the game, but his focus returned. He became key to the Avalanche victory late in the game as Miles Wood saved the day. Here are my takeaways from the 4–3 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars.

Takeaways

— It took the whole first period for the entire team to get back to game pace. During the first period, the Avalanche were keeping up, mostly; they just lacked that extra step. They were failing to do a lot of the things that have given them success to this point. That is part of the reason Dallas got the three goal lead. Colorado was having at some points even getting out of their own zone, allowing Dallas extended looks on Georgiev and wearing him out early.

— The Avalanche needed to shut down the neutral zone and do it quickly. The whole first period, the Stars had no issue with puck movement through the neutral zone. Once the Avalanche shut that down in the second, Dallas only got three shots on goal in the middle frame and four in the third frame. It had to become a total team effort, forwards were back checking and defensemen were forechecking. This would pinch the play to a point of a turnover and Avalanche control of the puck.

— Georgiev, despite a rocky start to the game, saved the day in overtime. He had to come through with six key saves to keep the Avalanche in the game, including a massive cross-crease save to steal the game. His .667 save percentage in the first period would improve to .864. It is something that still needs improvement, but he shined at the right times in the overtime win.

— Miles Wood tallied his third goal of this playoff campaign. It was also his first career overtime goal in either the regular season or playoffs. Wood has become a key piece to the depth of the Avalanche with his speed through the neutral zone, very similar to Logan O’Connor. Wood’s ability to put pressure on a man with the puck has become his bread and butter.

Conclusion

If the Avalanche can come out with all cylinders firing on Thursday night, it should be more of an evenly matched game. The Stars will have a little more trouble getting to the net and the Avalanche can push the play a little harder earlier in the game. Georgiev has shaken off some of the rust and hopefully got that one terrible game out of the way. History has told the Avalanche the key to the series with Dallas is not to let it get past five games.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/wood-has-career-moment-to-win-in-ot-for-avalanche/feed/ 0 30803 A Finnish hat trick helps Avalanche victory over Stars https://www.the-rink.com/a-finnish-hat-trick-helps-avalanche-victory-over-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/a-finnish-hat-trick-helps-avalanche-victory-over-stars/#respond Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:52:41 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=28699 The Colorado Avalanche continued their home stand against their rival Dallas Stars. Coming into the night, the Stars led the Central Division over Colorado by four points. They have met... Read more »

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]]> The Colorado Avalanche continued their home stand against their rival Dallas Stars. Coming into the night, the Stars led the Central Division over Colorado by four points. They have met twice so far this season, and the Avalanche have walked away as the victors on both occasions. Colorado looked as if they had more energy in practice yesterday and tonight. Tonight was a complete turnaround compared to the recent play by the Avalanche. The return of Valeri Nichushkin this week to practice may have injected some new life into the team. Here are the takeaways for the 5–1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

Takeaways

— All three Finnish skaters on the Avalanche score tonight. Joel Kiviranta opened the scoring for the Avalanche to counterpunch the opening goal by the Stars. He did it in just 68 seconds after the Stars scored. Mikko Rantanen added his 31st goal of the year almost four minutes later. As Colorado went to the power play in the second period, Artturi Lehkonen added his goal. Lehkonen has been on fire lately with four goals in the last six games.

— Cale Makar added an assist on Nathan MacKinnon’s goal, making Makar the all-time points leader for a defenseman in franchise history. Makar passed former Avalanche Tyson Barrie (307 points) in just 293 games. It took Barrie 484 games.

— The first half of the game the Avalanche had trouble with turnovers. There were multiple occasions when Colorado was in the corners in their own zone and would flip the puck to a Dallas player. Usually, as a defenseman, you want to chip it to a teammate behind the net, but that was not happening. The wingers on the half-boards also kept chipping the puck to center ice, allowing Dallas to have prime scoring chances.

Conclusion

The Avalanche clearly had the advantage tonight over the Stars with the altitude. By the end of the game, Dallas was struggling to skate while Colorado had no issues. The Avalanche have been having some recent struggles (which showed against Toronto), but they moved on tonight. We saw more of what we have grown to expect with the Avalanche tonight, speed and quick strikes. Next on deck will be the last place Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night in Denver.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/a-finnish-hat-trick-helps-avalanche-victory-over-stars/feed/ 0 28699 Drouin has a two-goal heroic night https://www.the-rink.com/drouin-has-a-two-goal-heroic-night/ https://www.the-rink.com/drouin-has-a-two-goal-heroic-night/#respond Fri, 05 Jan 2024 05:02:56 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=28117 When the Colorado Avalanche last faced the Dallas Stars, they walked away with a 6–3 victory. Better yet, they scored all their goals unanswered. Meeting for the second time during... Read more »

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]]> When the Colorado Avalanche last faced the Dallas Stars, they walked away with a 6–3 victory. Better yet, they scored all their goals unanswered.

Meeting for the second time during the regular season, the Stars learned from their mistakes and made the Avalanche work for a victory with even more on the line.

With a victory, the Avalanche would widen their point margin and strengthen their first-place seat. With a loss, Winnipeg could easily steal the top spot and Dallas would improve to an uncomfortably close record, trailing the Avalanche by one point.

First period

Right out of the gate, it was clear it would be a good game. Neither team could find an opening for their first goal.

Eventually, the Stars put up the first goal on an unlucky bounce near Colorado’s net.

But letting Dallas run away with the game was simply not in the cards. Nathan MacKinnon found the back of the net. Miles Wood earned his first point of the night with the assist, and Jack Johnson received the secondary.

Colorado outshot Dallas 12–9 after the first frame.

Second period

Though entering the second period on a level field, it wouldn’t take long for the favor to tip in Dallas’ favor. Not two minutes into the period, the Stars found their second opportunity and took the lead once again.

Seven minutes of aggressive play yields nothing until Jack Johnson is sent to the box for a high sticking penalty, awarding the Stars a four-minute advantage. They quickly converted and widened the margin to two.

With every passing minute, the game was looking more and more concerning for the Avalanche. Despite having several excellent opportunities, they were coming up empty-handed and down by two.

Jonathan Drouin made his first heroic goal of the night to bring the Avalanche within one with only 12 seconds remaining on the clock. MacKinnon picked up his second point of the night on the secondary assist.

Third period

By the time the third period came around, both teams were applying constant pressure in the offensive zone. Dallas was rewarded first, reclaiming the two-goal margin.

A whole 38 seconds later, Drouin finds his superhero cape once again and fires his own into the net.

With the Stars’ pressure, the Avalanche had to level the game. After pulling Alexandar Georgiev out of the net, the extra offensive power paid off. Mikko Rantanen forced the puck into the net with just over a minute to go.

Overtime

The Avalanche don’t go to overtime often, and they lose in overtime even less.

Eager to pad the teams’ standings with another win was MacKinnon, who scored his third point of the night. Assisted by Devon Toews, the Avalanche closed out the game with a 5–4 win.

Takeaways

With tonight’s win in the books, Colorado stays first in the division. They move up to first in the conference and second in the league.

As of late, the offensive lineup has been showing true grit. After the humiliating loss to the Coyotes, it seems there is even more of a reason to never assume the game is going to go one way or the other.

In the last ten games, Drouin has made quite the name for himself. He has eleven total points: five goals and six assists.

The Avalanche will take on the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Dec. 2.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/drouin-has-a-two-goal-heroic-night/feed/ 0 28117 RECAP: Stars eliminate the Avalanche in 5-4 overtime thriller https://www.the-rink.com/recap-stars-eliminate-the-avalanche-in-5-4-overtime-thriller/ https://www.the-rink.com/recap-stars-eliminate-the-avalanche-in-5-4-overtime-thriller/#respond Sat, 05 Sep 2020 15:09:09 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17966 Well, that is not what any of us were expecting — and it is still a little bit of a shock. I even hate having to write this recap, but... Read more »

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Well, that is not what any of us were expecting — and it is still a little bit of a shock.

I even hate having to write this recap, but we just have to rip off the bandaid, no matter how much it hurts.

The Colorado Avalanche have officially been eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs after falling to the Dallas Stars 5–4 in overtime. In what could only be described as a back and forth affair all game lone, the Stars had the last laugh as they tallied the game-winner, punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kicking off the opening frame, the Avs would fall behind after Stars forward Alexander Radulov tallied his first goal of the game on the powerplay to give the Stars the 1-0 lead. Not long after, the Avalanche came up with the equalizer as Avs forward Vladislav Namestnikov tallied the equalizer.

One of the main players who piqued my interest early into the game was Avs forward Logan O’Connor. Just like the past couple of games, O’Connor seemed to be relentless on the puck, and he was getting rewarded with some opportune chances, including a near goal in the early minutes of the opening frame.

As time continued to dwindle in the first period, the Stars attempted a breakout of their own zone — but Avs forward Andre Burakovsky anticipated the pass, intercepted it, and promptly sniped it past Anton Khudobin to give the Avs the 2–1 lead into the second period.

 

The second period continued to be another back and forth affair like the first period, as the Stars came up with the equalizer with Stars forward Antii Kiviranta tallying his first goal of the game. With the score now tied, the Avalanche would head onto the powerplay, something they have struggled within this series, where Avs forward Nazem Kadri tallied a goal of his own, giving the Avs the 3–2 advantage to head into the third period.

Similar to the first couple of periods, the final frame continued to be a back and forth affair as the Stars tallied the equalizer off the stick of Radulov early into the period. There would be no quit from the Avalanche, however, as Namestnikov tallied his second goal of the game to help the Avs regain the one-goal lead — but that would be short-lived as only 10 seconds later Kiviranta would tally his second goal of the game to force overtime.

 

In the sudden-death period, Kiviranta would complete the hat trick to help the Stars advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they will play the Vegas Golden Knights or the Vancouver Canucks.

So whats next? Nothing on the Avalanche front, as they have officially been eliminated from the 2020 Stanley cup Playoffs. However, you can expect plenty of offseason content from our team as the Avs set their sights on Lord Stanley next season.

 

 

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/recap-stars-eliminate-the-avalanche-in-5-4-overtime-thriller/feed/ 0 17966 Game Preview: Can Avs advance to Conference Championship? https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-can-avs-advance-to-conference-championship/ https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-can-avs-advance-to-conference-championship/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2020 15:13:05 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17960 After being down 1-3 in their series against the Stars, the Avalanche did the miraculous — they came back and forced a game seven. And they did it with their... Read more »

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After being down 1-3 in their series against the Stars, the Avalanche did the miraculous — they came back and forced a game seven. And they did it with their third string goalie and without lineup staples Matt Calvert, Erik Johnson, or Joonas Donskoi. But do they have what it takes to finish off the series?

Games four and five both saw one team dominate the first period then go on to win the game. Game six, on the other hand, was tied 1-1 at the end of the first period. The real story of the game — and indeed, of the series so far — is the Avalanche’s utterly impotent power play. Their last goal with the man advantage was in game four. They are 1/16 on the power play over the past three games. The Stars allowed them five power plays in game six, including a four-minute double minor, but the Avs failed to capitalize. The Stars, on the other hand, are 5/13 on the power play through those same three games.

Nathan MacKinnon continued his ongoing point streak in game six with one goal and one assist. Mikko Rantanen did the same. The two forwards now lead the league in playoff points. Defensemen Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov each tallied a goal as well, helping secure the victory.

If the Avs hope to advance to the conference championship, they need to capitalize on their power play chances and stay out of the box. It sounds like a cliche, but special teams may end up making the difference in this series. And the Avs need to stay grumpy. Being downright pissed off has definitely worked for them these last two games.

Player(s) to watch:

On the Avalanche side, there are rumors that Matt Calvert may return to the lineup tonight. Although Logan O’Connor has played well in Calvert’s stead, Calvert’s grit has been sorely missed. And of course, all eyes will be on third-string goalie Michael Hutchinson, who’s surpassed all expectations so far.

On the Dallas side, rookie forward Denis Gurianov and defenseman Miro Heiskanen have 13 goals and 20 assists between them and lead the Stars in points. Minimizing their chances tonight will be critical.

There are few things more exciting in sports than a game seven! If things go Colorado’s way tonight, the Western Conference Championship is scheduled to begin on Sunday. 

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-can-avs-advance-to-conference-championship/feed/ 0 17960 Avalanche force game seven after pivotal 4-1 win over Dallas https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-force-game-seven-after-pivotal-4-1-win-over-dallas/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-force-game-seven-after-pivotal-4-1-win-over-dallas/#respond Thu, 03 Sep 2020 02:55:21 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17951 Wednesday night may have been one of the most highly anticipated games for the Colorado Avalanche all season.  After being down 3-1 to the Dallas Stars, the Avs had an... Read more »

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]]> Wednesday night may have been one of the most highly anticipated games for the Colorado Avalanche all season.  After being down 3-1 to the Dallas Stars, the Avs had an opportunity to force a game seven where the winner would advance to the Western Conference finals.  Both the Stars and Avalanche lost in the second round in a game seven last season so there was pressure from both sides to take the next step.

Similar to Game Five, the Avalanche chose to play goaltender Michael Hutchinson who was backed up again by Hunter Miska.  Conor Timmins drew into the lineup once again but unfortunately Matt Calvert was still held out.  In goal for the Stars was Anton Khudobin, backed up by young Jake Oettinger as Ben Bishop was deemed unfit to play again.

Here’s how the game shook out.

First period

While it took awhile for both teams to loosen up, the story in the first period was faceoff wins and blocked shots.  The Stars won 67% of the draws and had 11 blocked shots in the first 20 minutes of the game.  The first big opportunity for the Avs came when Pierre Edouard-Bellemare took a high stick from Blake Comeau and drew blood so Colorado had four minutes of powerplay time.  Unfortunately, the Stars killed off all four minutes and limited Colorado to just a couple shots on goal.  The Avalanche had another minor penalty after Mikko Rantanen was taken down going to the net, but Dallas killed that penalty off, too.

On the defensive side, goaltender Michael Hutchinson made a huge save on Stars forward Radek Faksa as he was forced to slide from left to right to make sure a rebound didn’t go in.  But it was only a few minutes later when Miro Heiskanen scored on what should’ve been a routine save for Hutchinson.

But the Avs weren’t ready to end the period on that note.  With under a minute to go, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a shot from the point through traffic and it found its way into the net past Anton Khudobin.  With the score tied at one, both teams headed into the locker room with shots also tied at 13 each.

During the intermission, Anson Carter talked about there being fewer scrums after the whistle.  Both teams were trying to be conservative and not commit any dumb penalties that would put their teams shorthanded.

Second Period

It was more of the same in the second period as the Stars still couldn’t stay out of the box, and the Avs still couldn’t score on the powerplay.  Jamie Benn and Corey Perry were called for minor penalties in the period, but Colorado struggled going 0-for-5 for the game.  Eight minutes in, Cale Makar found a rebound in the slot and put it high past Anton Khudobin, giving the Avs a 2-1 lead.  But more bad news would follow.  Conor Timmins would leave the game, leaving Colorado with just five defenseman to finish the game and captain Gabriel Landeskog left at the end of the period with an apparent leg injury.

Third Period

The Avs got to work early in the third period and provided goaltender Michael Hutchinson with some insurance with a goal by Mikko Rantanen.  The assist came from Nathan MacKinnon who extended his playoff point streak to 14 games.  After that goal, Dallas started turning up the heat finishing every check and putting tons of pressure on the puck.  But the Avalanche held on to their lead and got back the captain Gabe Landeskog who returned from the locker room.

With under ten minutes to play, the Avs went to the penalty kill after Stars forward Jason Dickinson received a high stick.  They did a great job blocking shots and making sure the Stars didn’t have any open lanes.  As time dwindled down to three minutes left, Dallas pulled their goalie but that didn’t end well.  Nathan MacKinnon recovered a loose puck and sent it down for the empty net goal, sealing the game for the Avs at 4-1.

What’s next?

Holy cow, that’s all I can say.  It’s been quite the series and will be remembered as an instant classic, but this is far from over.  Friday night, the Avalanche and Stars play each other one last time in a win or go home game to advance to the Western Conference Finals.  The stage is getting bigger each game and although Colorado keeps getting setbacks with injuries, they keep moving forward.  Hold onto your hats folks, we’ve got a game seven coming our way!

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-force-game-seven-after-pivotal-4-1-win-over-dallas/feed/ 0 17951 Preview: Avs look to force Game Seven against Dallas https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-avs-look-to-force-game-7-against-dallas/ https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-avs-look-to-force-game-7-against-dallas/#respond Wed, 02 Sep 2020 19:30:03 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17944 Following an exciting 6–3 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game Five to extend the series and avoid elimination, the Colorado Avalanche will be looking to force a pivotal Game... Read more »

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Following an exciting 6–3 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game Five to extend the series and avoid elimination, the Colorado Avalanche will be looking to force a pivotal Game Seven when they take on the Stars Wednesday at 6 p.m.

With both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz out of the lineup, the Avalanche went with Michael Hutchinson in Game Five, with Hunter Miska as the backup. While Hutchinson did make a few solid saves later in the game, the Avalanche made a statement by scoring five goals in the first period to help come away with the 6–3 victory.

Avs forwards Nathan MacKinnon tallied two points (one goal, one assist) in the 6–3 victory over the Stars, extending his playoff point streak to 13 games. MacKinnon currently leads the league with 23 points (eight goals,15 assists). Along with MacKinnon, Andre Burakovsky had himself a strong night, tallying three points (two goals, one assist) in the victory.

Along with MacKinnon, some of the other Avs who currently ride their own respective point streaks are Mikko Rantanen (eight games), Cale Makar (four games), Burakovsky (three games) and Nazem Kadri (three games).

According to Colorado head coach Jared Bednar, the Avs are still “grumpy” about where they stand in the series, which is exactly how they were heading into Game Five. With Bednar keeping his roster plans under lock and key, no one really has a solid idea of what the roster will look like against the stars for Game Six.

 

I usually do a player, or players, to watch section here, but honestly, this is going to come down to so many different factors it is hard to just pick one particular player from each team. Expect the Avalanche to come out similar to how they came out in Game Five—pissed off and absolutely flying. On the other side, I think we can all expect the Stars to expect this from the Avs, and they will continue to try to have a physical presence throughout the game.

Get your popcorn and soda, ladies and gentlemen. Game Six will be another nail-biter.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/game-preview-avs-look-to-force-game-7-against-dallas/feed/ 0 17944 Avalanche fall to the Stars 5-4, face elimination Monday https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-to-the-stars-5-4-face-elimination-monday/ https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-to-the-stars-5-4-face-elimination-monday/#respond Mon, 31 Aug 2020 00:48:51 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17911 Sunday night, the Avalanche faced off against the Dallas Stars in game four of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but not after the players, like many other... Read more »

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]]> Sunday night, the Avalanche faced off against the Dallas Stars in game four of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but not after the players, like many other professional athletes, boycotted games to spotlight the Black Lives Matter movement. On Thursday night, the Avalanche came from behind to beat the Stars and make the series 2–1, but there were words that followed after the game that set up game four as a pivotal game in the series.  The Stars could take a commanding 3–1 lead over Colorado, or the Avs could even up the series at two game a piece, forcing a best of three scenario to advance to the Western Conference Finals.  Here is what happened.

First period

Just when you thought the Avalanche would come with the energy they had in game three, they sleepwalk through the whole first period of game four.  The game started with the Avs on the powerplay but it was lethargic and they could not even get through the neutral zone.  The Avs did not register a shot on that powerplay and they would not get one until the 18 minute mark of the period.  Yes, you read that right.  Pavel Francouz did not have his best period either, allowing three goals on 10 shots.  Two of them were on the Dallas powerplay, one scored by Radek Faksa on a rebound in front of Francouz and the other on a Jamie Benn redirect.  The period concluded with Dallas up 3–0 and leading in shots 10–5.

Patrick Sharp of NBC Sports said it best after the period ended.  “The Dallas Stars came out angry and there was no response from the Avalanche.”  Anson Carter elaborated saying that “the Stars wanted to drag Colorado into a street fight,” and they did.

Second Period

The Avalanche woke up in the second and quickly came back to get even with the Stars in shots on goal with 14 early in the period.  Both teams were checking hard and seemed to trade minor penalties throughout the period.  At times, Avs coach Jared Bednar was double-shifting Nathan MacKinnon to ignite some sort of spark while they still trailed the Stars 3–0.  Thirteen minutes into the second, it was Val Nichushkin who got the Avs on the board first, cleaning up a shot from the point by Cale Makar.

And after a pivotal penalty kill that sent Nathan MacKinnon to the box on an interference call on the Stars’ Corey Perry, the Avs found themselves on a 5-on-3 with under a minute left in the 2nd period.  Colorado called a timeout which followed a powerplay goal by Cale Makar, drawing the Avs within one goal of tying the game.

Third Period

There was energy from both teams to start the third, but it was the Avalanche who would have a couple of miscues that would cost the.  The first was a tripping penalty that led to a Roope Hintz goal, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Moments after, Cale Makar collected the puck behind the net, but somehow he lost it in front of Francouz who was scored on easily by Denis Gurianov making it again a three goal lead.

With under ten minutes in the period, Val Nichushkin scored his second goal of the game on a deflected wrist shot, but it was not enough for the Avs to complete the comeback.  Even with a late goal by Vlad Namestnikov, the Avalanche fell to the Stars 5–4 and now trail Dallas 3–1 in the series.

What’s next?

It will be a quick turnaround for this series as game five is on Monday at 7:45 pm MT.  The Avalanche, who were one of the favorites all year to compete for the Stanley Cup, now face elimination in the second round.  You can look at the key injuries to Philipp Grubauer, Erik Johnson, and Matt Calvert, but this should not be an excuse.  The Avs had to play a gritter playoff-style game to match Dallas, but they failed.  They have one more chance to fight for pucks, or else they will have to wait until next season.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/avalanche-fall-to-the-stars-5-4-face-elimination-monday/feed/ 0 17911 Preview: Avalanche look for return of depth scoring in Game Three vs. Stars https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avalanche-looks-for-return-of-depth-scoring-in-game-3-vs-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avalanche-looks-for-return-of-depth-scoring-in-game-3-vs-stars/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2020 17:09:49 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17888       Following a disappointing 5–2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Colorado Avalanche will look to avoid falling into the dreaded 0–3 hole when they take... Read more »

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Following a disappointing 5–2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Colorado Avalanche will look to avoid falling into the dreaded 0–3 hole when they take on the Stars in Game Three Wednesday night.

So far in comparison to the first round against the Arizona Coyotes, it appears as if the Avs’ depth that they brought in during the offseason has completely been drained—as Colorado is simply just being carried by the superhuman efforts of Nathan MacKinnon.

Leading the playoffs with 18 points (Seven goals, 11 assists), MacKinnon has stepped his game up to a whole new level for the second round of the playoffs.

After getting off to a 2–0 lead in the first period with goals from MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in Game Two, the Avalanche ran into a series of unfortunate events to help the Stars score five unanswered goals to escape with the 5–2 comeback victory. Despite falling down two games in the series, the Avalanche are confident in their group.

“For us, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said after Game Two. “We feel more than anything we’re in this thing, and we’ve been up 2–0 before and we know how quick it can turn and all of a sudden—tie series. It’s a seven-game series for a reason, and there’s no quit in this group.”

According to Colorado head coach Jared Bednar, Matt Calvert remains day-to-day and his status for Game Three is yet to be determined, though Calvert could be a game-time decision.

Alongside MacKinnon’s 10-game point streak in the playoffs, Rantanen is on a five-game point stream (three goals, five assists), while Landeskog is on a four-game point streak with one goal and six assists.

I expect the Avalanche to come out hard as they did in Game Two and play more than 20 minutes of hockey for Game Three against the Stars. They know going down a 0–3 series deficit against a talented Stars squad would be extremely difficult to come back from, and I expect Colorado’s depth players to step up to the plate and help out the top line.

Players to watch

Mikko Rantanen

Riding his own point streak, it seems as if Rantanen is finally beginning to find his legs, tallying a goal of his own in Game Two for the Avalanche. With the Avs against the wall, I can see Rantanen taking the next step to help the Avs have a better chance of coming away with the victory. Whether it will be five-on-three or on the power play, I expect Rantanen and the rest of the top line to be at their best tonight in Game Three.

Joe Pavelski

Known for being an Avs killer, the longtime Shark has proven to be a little bit of a pest for the Stars in this second-round series against the Avalanche. On this talented Stars roster, Pavelski is a lightning rod of energy for this squad. If the Stars continue to have their way, expect him to have something to do with it.

Win or lose, Game Three will be a contest that you will not want to miss. Will we see a return of the Avs’ depth players, or will Colorado’s misfortunes continue? Only time will tell. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MDT.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avalanche-looks-for-return-of-depth-scoring-in-game-3-vs-stars/feed/ 0 17888 Despite goals from MacKinnon and Rantanen, Avalanche fall to Stars in Game Two after five unanswered Dallas goals https://www.the-rink.com/despite-goals-from-mackinnon-and-rantanen-avalanche-fall-to-stars-in-game-two-after-five-unanswered-dallas-goals/ https://www.the-rink.com/despite-goals-from-mackinnon-and-rantanen-avalanche-fall-to-stars-in-game-two-after-five-unanswered-dallas-goals/#respond Tue, 25 Aug 2020 11:43:22 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17877 Despite good goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in the first and second periods, the Colorado Avalanche fell 5–2 to the Dallas Stars in Game Two of their seven-game... Read more »

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]]> Despite good goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in the first and second periods, the Colorado Avalanche fell 5–2 to the Dallas Stars in Game Two of their seven-game series. Going into the game, both the fans and Avs head coach Jared Bednar were looking for more aggressive puck play from their team than they had seen in Game One against the Stars, which the Avalanche lost 3–2. Having won the previous series and easily beaten the Arizona Coyotes 7–1 in Games Four and Five, both Games One and Two against the Stars saw the Avalanche fail to increase their intensity when facing a much better team.

Colorado did come out strong initially, scoring two early goals and dominating early gameplay, but they suffered multiple penalties in the second period which the Stars capitalized on, resulting in four unanswered goals before the end of the second. And, despite a valiant effort by backup goaltender Pavel Francouz, the Avalanche now look to play from behind in their race for the Stanley Cup.

Starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Erik Johnson did not play and, per Bednar, are out indefinitely. In place of Johnson, the Avalanche pulled Eagles defenseman Kevin Connauton into their lineup, who worked hard but could not quite fill the role of Samuel Girard’s defensive partner. Forward Matt Calvert was a scratch for both Game One and Two against the Stars and continues to be day-to-day.

First period

Colorado began the game by putting pucks on net at every single chance they were given, and the scoreboard reflected their intensity. Dallas committed their first of nine penalties at just 5:54 into the period, and the Avs’ top line did not disappoint. Less than 30 seconds into the power play, MacKinnon slapped a beautiful saucer pass from Rantanen into the back of the net. The goal tied MacKinnon with Joe Sakic and Marian Stastny for the longest playoff point streak in franchise history.

The Avalanche continued to put pucks on net in the period, with good shot attempts by Ian Cole and exceptional saves by Francouz. A double penalty for roughing on Gabriel Landeskog and Mattias Janmark generated no goals, but the Avs ultimately outshot the Stars 20–6 in the period. They put bodies in front of Stars goalie Anton Khudobin, dominated the crease and killed all three of Dallas’ first-period penalties.

Second period

The quick and aggressive Colorado team from the first period carried over into the first half of the second. After a slashing call on Joe Pavelski against MacKinnon, MacKinnon slipped a pass to Rantanen from behind the net, who shot it high above Khudobin’s right shoulder, and the Avs scored their second power-play goal of the game for a 2–0 lead.

After the goal, however, the Avalanche’s luck seemed to roll only downhill. The Stars attempted to dislodge a puck that Francouz had already covered, and a fight broke out that resulted only in a slashing penalty on Girard against Corey Perry. Then, at 9:43 into the second period, Cole committed an interference penalty against the Stars, and Pavelski and Radek Faksa scored two goals on the ensuing power play to level the score at 2–2.

The penalties from both teams did not stop there, but Colorado could not capitalize on any of their power plays and the game began to look chippy. At 15:34 into the second period, Dallas deflected a shot into the net over Francouz, putting the Stars up 3–2. With less than three minutes left in the second, Nazem Kadri—who has excelled in the playoffs for the Avalanche this season—left the ice after blocking a shot. He returned to the bench at the start of the third period, ruling out a serious injury. The Stars scored again shortly after, and although the goal was challenged by the Avalanche’s coaching staff, the referee review resulted in a good Dallas goal. The Stars ended the period with a 4–2 lead and having closed the shots-on-goal gap significantly.

https://twitter.com/hayyyshayyy/status/1298100905678692355?s=20

Third period

Despite hopes that the Avalanche would come out swinging in the third period, and despite two Dallas penalties that led to good Avalanche power play opportunities, Colorado continued to choose the extra pass over available shot attempts. The team looked visibly frustrated at times, and despite bursts of physicality and defensive hustle, they could not close Dallas’s goal lead and finished the game down 5–2 after an empty-net goal by Jamie Oleksiak. Although a couple of Stars goals seemed reliant on luck and bad puck bounces, the Avalanche defense ultimately could not immobilize the Dallas offense, and missed shot opportunities resulted in an Avalanche loss.

What’s next

With the Stars up 2–0 in the series, Dallas and Colorado face off for Game Three on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. MDT. Colorado will be playing from behind and looking to close the two-game deficit. Defenseman Erik Johnson will likely miss Game Three as well, and fans should expect Colorado to step up their defensive play in his absence. On stat watch is Nathan MacKinnon, who has scored at least a point in all 10 games the Avalanche have played this postseason and continues to climb the record boards.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/despite-goals-from-mackinnon-and-rantanen-avalanche-fall-to-stars-in-game-two-after-five-unanswered-dallas-goals/feed/ 0 17877 Preview: Avs look to battle back in Game Two https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avs-look-to-battle-back-in-game-two/ https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avs-look-to-battle-back-in-game-two/#respond Mon, 24 Aug 2020 06:26:32 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17870 With the condensed playoffs format, it is once again time for Colorado Avalanche hockey. Only two days after their loss to the Dallas Stars in Game One, the Avalanche will... Read more »

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]]> With the condensed playoffs format, it is once again time for Colorado Avalanche hockey. Only two days after their loss to the Dallas Stars in Game One, the Avalanche will be back on the ice looking to tie this series at 1–1. Following their one and only loss to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, Colorado had two seven-goal games in a row—we can only hope that their recent defeat by Dallas will have the same invigorating effect.

The 5–3 loss to the Stars on Saturday was a result of many things, not least the fact that half of the team seemed to be asleep on the ice. The defense was unable to communicate and the defense was unable to get firing, with the notable exception of the top line, who scored all three of the Avalanche goals.

On top of those problems, Saturday saw two Colorado players injured. Defenseman Erik Johnson left the ice twice during the game in pain and will be doubtful for Game Two. In addition, goalie Philipp Grubauer suffered a lower-body injury during period two, leaving Pavel Francouz to take over in net. Given Grubauer’s history with lower-body injuries, the remainder of the playoffs may be Francouz’s time to shine. Matt Calvert was also a sudden scratch for Game One.

The Avalanche should be going into Game Two with something to prove, which has historically served them well. The flaws from the last game can be addressed, as they mostly came down to the fact that the team was not fully engaged with playing the game. With a more cohesive defense and more presence from the bottom three lines, there should be quite an improvement.

The question of the full lineup is still a mystery, as someone will need to fill Johnson’s spot if he is indeed unable to play. A few names have popped up here, as the Avs brought a number of additional defensemen with them to the bubble, including young prospective players Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins. They also have more familiar names in Mark Barberio and Kevin Connauton, both of whom logged minutes with the team this year.

Players to watch

With Grubauer out indefinitely, Francouz will need to step up big going forward. He only has one official full playoff game under his belt, though he also played in one of the round robin games. That round robin game, coincidentally, was a shutout against the Stars. Francouz also played in Colorado’s sole loss against the Coyotes, allowing two goals. While it would be nice to see the same Francouz we saw during the first game against Dallas, there will still need to be a considerable defensive effort to back him up.

Miro Heiskanen has had quite a run so far in the playoffs for the Stars, posting 13 points in 10 games. He had an assist on one of the goals against Colorado in Game One and will likely be a large contributing force in Game Two. His contributions mainly come in the form of assists, so the Avalanche will need to shut down his opportunities to set up plays.

Despite it still being early in the series, Colorado needs to come out firing and tie the series here. Allowing Dallas to take a two-game lead will only serve to bolster their spirits, while an Avalanche win can rekindle the fire that saw them close out the series against Arizona.

Game Two will be at 7:45 p.m. MDT on Monday.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/preview-avs-look-to-battle-back-in-game-two/feed/ 0 17870 Philipp Grubauer injured in Avalanche 5-3 loss to Dallas https://www.the-rink.com/philipp-grubauer-injured-in-avalanche-5-3-loss-to-dallas/ https://www.the-rink.com/philipp-grubauer-injured-in-avalanche-5-3-loss-to-dallas/#respond Sun, 23 Aug 2020 03:47:43 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17860 In a highly anticipated Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Avalanche and Stars had to be ready as Game One started just a couple days after Round One... Read more »

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]]> In a highly anticipated Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Avalanche and Stars had to be ready as Game One started just a couple days after Round One had wrapped up.  Both teams were riding high on recent seven-goal wins, so it was only a matter of time before the forces collided.  It seemed like both clubs preferred to start sooner rather than later, dreading more downtime in the bubble.

Before the game started, lineups showed that Vladislav Namestnikov was back in the lineup after sitting a few games under concussion protocol, but Matt Calvert was a scratch.  Calvert is a big part of the Avs’ bottom six forward group and provides a certain “sandpaper” that gives the team a lot of energy.  He was even in a scrap with Stars captain Jamie Benn earlier this year.

Make sure you check out our series preview of the Avalanche vs Stars in the second round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

First period

The Avs didn’t get off to the start that they wanted to with the Stars, as Dallas took control in the first few minutes.  They had a plan to take Colorado’s strength out of the game, which is their great skating ability.  The Stars dumped the puck in behind Philipp Grubauer and began to cycle, wearing out the Avalanche defenseman.  After just four minutes, the Stars scored their first goal on a pass from behind the net from Benn to Tyler Seguin.  Within a minute of the Stars’ first goal, Nathan MacKinnon answered back, striking on a wrist shot through some traffic that Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin never saw.

Some bad new came in the middle of the period when Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson blocked a shot and fell awkwardly in front of the net.  He made it back to his feet but opted to skate to the bench gingerly, knowing it wasn’t just a bruise.  The Stars continued putting on pressure and the puck eventually found it way to the back of the Avs net on a redirected shot from Blake Comeau at the point.

But the Avs weren’t going away.  MacKinnon made a nice pass to Gabriel Landeskog on what should’ve been the Avs’ 2nd goal of the game, but Khudobin made a great post-to-post save.

The Avs didn’t look great the rest of the period as they continued to turn over the puck in the neutral zone and simply didn’t have an answer for Dallas’ offensive game.  Within the final minutes of the first period, Samuel Girard dumped the puck in and chased it into the Dallas zone, which resulted in a Dallas odd-man rush.  Benn found Alexander Radulov right in front of Grubauer, who then put the Stars up 3-1.  The period ended with Colorado leading Dallas in shots 13-7, but Dallas seemed to have the advantage so far in all phases.

Second Period

To start the second period, it was nice to see Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson back on the bench, who had left the game in the first due to an apparent leg injury.  Unfortunately for the Avs, another player would leave the game in the second period.  Going for a pad save, Grubauer looked to over-extend and went down in agonizing pain.  Play stopped as he had to be helped off the ice, with Pavel Francouz coming on the ice in relief.

The Avalanche looked like they got some extra motivation after Grubauer went down as they were skating hard and putting a lot of pressure on the defense.  After a long shift in the Dallas zone, MacKinnon shot the puck from the point and the puck found Landeskog, who scored his first goal of the postseason.

The goals continued to pour in, as it was Dallas’ turn.  Seguin carried the puck through the Avs’ zone on a two-on-one and fired the puck low on Francouz.  The rebound came to Radulov, who put home his second of the game, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Later in the period, Johnson took another spill and left to the tunnel again.  And just before the end of the second period, both teams took minors and it was four-on-four for two minutes.  The Avalanche got possession in the Dallas zone and MacKinnon redirected his second goal of the game off of a Girard shot.

Third Period

It was back and forth action for the first ten minutes of the third period as the Avs tried to even the game at four.  But it was Roope Hintz that broke the ice, giving the Stars a 5-3 lead.  Dallas continued to cycle in the Avalanche zone, grinding away at the game clock.  They finished all their checks and were always in on the forecheck.

In the final five minutes, the Avalanche pulled their goalie but the Stars held them until the final buzzer.  The game ended with the Avalanche leading in shots 31-30.

What’s next?

Game two will be on Monday at 7:45 PM MT and, if the Avalanche want to even up the series, they will need to find another level.  The Dallas Stars aren’t the Arizona Coyotes.  They’ve shown that they can score seven goals in a game too, plus they play a heavy style game.  If you’re Colorado, you have to watch the tape and see how you can come out and adjust.  It’s clear the Stars are taking away the neutral zone from the Avs so they can’t penetrate on the rush.  They Avs may also have to find a replacement for Erik Johnson if he’s unable to go for game two.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/philipp-grubauer-injured-in-avalanche-5-3-loss-to-dallas/feed/ 0 17860 Series Preview: Avs to face Dallas Stars in Western Conference Semifinals https://www.the-rink.com/series-preview-avs-to-face-dallas-stars-in-western-conference-semifinals/ https://www.the-rink.com/series-preview-avs-to-face-dallas-stars-in-western-conference-semifinals/#respond Sat, 22 Aug 2020 16:10:33 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17721   Taking a look at the schedule on Friday morning, I was looking forward to two exciting games to close out the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs,... Read more »

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]]>
 
Taking a look at the schedule on Friday morning, I was looking forward to two exciting games to close out the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and boy, we were not disappointed, as the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadians, while the Vancouver Canucks shocked the hockey world by eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions in the St. Louis Blues.
 
However, that disappointment of a temporary gap in games quickly disappeared, as we found out that the Colorado Avalanche begin their second-round series against the Dallas Stars. While it took me by surprise, I am definitely happy to have some hockey today.
 
So how did each team get here? Well, let’s start with the Avalanche. After finishing 3–0–1 in the round robin, the Avs secured the second seed in the Western Conference and was matched with the Arizona Coyotes in the first round. While Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper was proving to give the Avalanche some issues in this series, actually stealing Game Three for the Coyotes, it was the Avs who would have the last laugh with two consecutive 7–1 victories to close out the series in five games.
 
The path to the second round for the Stars was a little bit more challenging, as they finished with the fourth overall seed without winning a single round robin game, including a 4–0 shutout loss to the Avalanche. Following their poor showing in the round robin, the Stars were matched up against the Calgary Flames, the team the Avalanche eliminated in five games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a wild card team. In a gritty and fast series, the Stars trailed by three goals in Game Six. Whatever was said during intermission motivated the Stars, as they would go on to win Game Six 7–3 to eliminate the Flames and punch their ticket to play the Avalanche.

Players to watch

Tied with Elias Pettersen of the Vancouver Canucks for the playoff scoring leader, Nathan MacKinnon is hot heading into this second-round series against the Stars, and will be looked at as being the main x-factor in the Avs’ success. However, he is not the only one. Last series against the Coyotes, Avs forward Nazem Kadri was a pleasant surprise, tallying 11 points (six goals, five assists) and zero penalty minutes to help the Avalanche advance to the next round. With Stars defensemen Miro Heiskanen leading all defensemen with 12 points, the Avs will look to Cale Makar to lift his game to the next level. 
 

For the Dallas Stars, their top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov was kept quiet against the Flames, so clearly that is a line the Stars will hope to reignite in this series against the Avalanche. Some of the key players that I feel the Stars will rely on to help them win the series are Heiskanen and veteran forward Joe Pavelski. As Avs fans may remember from the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pavelski was a factor in Game Seven with the San Jose Sharks, when he returned and helped the Sharks eliminate the Avalanche. Last but certainly not least, the Stars will look to continue to rely on rookie forward Denis Gurianov. Tallying four goals in the Stars’ 7–3 victory over the Flames, Gurianov leads all rookies in the postseason with six goals.
 

Last year, the Avalanche were exposed and eventually eliminated due to not having a strong depth. This is different this year, as General Manager Joe Sakic made it a mission to have four lines capable of scoring by acquiring Kadri, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Andre Burakovsky and Joonas Donskoi. It may sound simple, but the Avs will need to rely on their overall depth to help them eliminate a defensively built Stars squad.

Our predictions

JJ Seaward — Avs in six games
 
Aaron Goldschmidt — Avs in six games
 
Jessica Moore — Avs in six games
 
Lucas Rozell — Avs in five or six games
 
Marie Sexton — Avs in five games

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/series-preview-avs-to-face-dallas-stars-in-western-conference-semifinals/feed/ 0 17721 Round robin preview: Avalanche vs. Stars https://www.the-rink.com/round-robin-preview-avalanche-vs-stars/ https://www.the-rink.com/round-robin-preview-avalanche-vs-stars/#respond Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:30:34 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17565 Following a thrilling 2–1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche (1–0–0) will continue their quest for the top spot in the Western Conference when they take on... Read more »

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]]> Following a thrilling 2–1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche (1–0–0) will continue their quest for the top spot in the Western Conference when they take on the Dallas Stars (0–1–0) on Wednesday. In their first game of the round robin series, the Dallas Stars dropped a 5–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights (1–0–0), giving up four unanswered goals in the third period after building a 3–1 lead.

Prior to the pause in the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Avalanche struggled the most with the Dallas Stars, as the Stars swept the Avalanche in the season series. While the postseason is always a different beast, it seems as if the Stars have had the Avs’ number in recent matchups with their stout defense and strong goaltending behind Denver native Ben Bishop.

However, it will be very interesting to see how the Stars’ defense will be able to handle a fully healthy Avs roster.

In this round robin showdown against the Stars, it will likely be another closely contested battle. It was also noted that Colorado head coach Jared Bednar was not happy with the performance of a few players in their performance against the Blues. It can be expected the Avalanche will be coming out flying to start the game to see if they can beat Bishop early.

Special teams will be an interesting storyline to follow for Colorado, as the Avs’ penalty-killing unit held the Blues to one power play goal on Sunday. While the Avalanche have been able to establish a strong penalty-killing unit, their power play continues to leave something to be desired, only scoring once in their five opportunities with the man advantage against the Blues.

Players to watch

Cale Makar — Colorado Avalanche

A little quiet in the game against the Blues, the player to watch against the Stars should be Calder Trophy candidate Cale Makar. If Makar is able to get his game going, it will make the Avs’ dynamic offense deadly, and can also be enough to immediately improve the Colorado power play. Expect Makar to have a big game against the Stars.

Roope Hintz — Dallas Stars

If there has been one Stars player who has impressed in each showdown against the Avs before the pause, it has been Finnish forward Roope Hintz. The speedy Dallas forward has caused fits for the Avalanche in the past, and I can see him doing so once again in this round robin showdown. Look for Colorado to lock him down.

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