The Colorado Avalanche came into Monday’s contest in the second game in as many nights against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Avalanche had expectedly few veterans on the roster. Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Johansen both made their unofficial debuts for Colorado, leading a large contingent of Colorado Eagles on the ice.
First period
Keaton Middleton set the tone at the beginning of the period with a massive hit on the blue line to flatten Paul Cotter. Sheldon Rempal could take advantage of a power play situation with a screen in front of Alexandar Georgiev to make the score 1–0. Johansen was eager to score the first goal for the Avalanche. He took a quick pass from Drouin in the slot and slammed it into the net for the tying goal. Two minutes later, Oskar Olausson scored, breaking through two defenders and hitting the five-hole.
Second period
The middle frame saw the switching of the goaltenders, with Justus Annunen coming in to guard the crease. With only one official save, he looked fantastic. Annunen had to perform a full split to save the puck with his leg pad. Ivan Ivan stood out as he pushed the play forward and attacked the puck several times on his own.
Third period
The heat would turn up about halfway through the period with an unexpected goal scorer. Kurtis MacDermid received Peter Holland‘s pass after a Matthew Stienburg shot and bury it in the back of the net. It did not take long for Vegas to strike back, however. Less than 30 seconds later, Lukas Cormier would bring them within one to make it 3–2 with an Avalanche lead. Fantastic saves by Annunen kept the team in the game and secured the victory.
Conclusion
There is still a long way to go in training camp with four more games left to play. Wyatt Aamodt especially stood out on defense. He could close the gaps quickly and looked comfortable on the penalty kill. He was second on the team in ice time with 21:23 and two shots on goal. Olausson proving himself with impressive performance, skating circles around Vegas defense. Maintaining this style of play can bring a lot of excitement to Avalanche and Eagles’ fans throughout the season. They may be just preseason games, but they are always fun to watch.
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