The Colorado Avalanche took on the Minnesota Wild in a battle for the third position in the division last night.
The Avalanche got some horrible news over the last couple of days with the fall of veteran defenseman Erik Johnson and goaltender Pavel Francouz. Both are out with lower body injuries and do not have a timeline for their return. This is the second time that the Wild and the Avalanche met this season, with Colorado winning the first game in October. This game became a must-win just to keep their spot in the standings for the moment. But the return of Josh Manson meant some good things for the Avalanche last night.
Depth Scoring
One thing that the Avalanche have been struggling with all year is bottom-six scoring. Andrew Cogliano started off the scoring last night with a shot from the slot on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Denis Malgin got his second for the Avalanche with the help of
Manson as he returned from injury for the first time in thirty-one games. The passing from the defensemen has been improving as they have been working the puck up the ice for the forwards. On Cogliano’s goal, Samuel Girard gathered the puck in the corner to pass to Devon Toews who worked it up to a skating Cogliano. With the defense doing the work, it gives a chance for the forwards to gain speed and get into position BEFORE they even get the puck.
Back-To-Backs
Colorado was playing the second half of a back-to-back last night. The first game on Tuesday went to a shootout and had to fly into Minnesota right after the Tampa game. The Avalanche did not even land in St. Paul until after 2:30 AM local time. This clearly would have an effect on the way that the Avalanche played their game last night. They did not get many shots on goal, at one point going 12 minutes without a shot. Their energy level was not as quick as usual. Colorado lacked in their forecheck, but when they shot on Fluey they made it matter. This is the first set of three back-to-backs in a row that Colorado has to play in the next two and half weeks.
Josh Manson
The impact of having Josh Manson return last night was apparent. In what normally would be a work up to normal pace, Manson played 19:45 in his return. This will help the other defensemen and take a workload off of players like Cale Makar (once he returns) and Devon Toews. His four hits were something to be feared as he was a wrecking ball in the defensive zone. He also had five blocked shots, where on a night the Wild were pouring the shots in, it helped a tired Alexandar Georgiev.
Conclusion
Colorado found a way to fight through a fast and furious third period and win 3-2. There were only three stoppages in thirteen minutes in the period, which made it tough for Colorado to hold. But, they finally found a way to make it through the dreaded third and win the game to gain a two-point lead over the Wild in the standings. Manson made it obvious last night that he has been a key feature that the Avalanche have been missing. The Avalanche have the next two days off and then go into St. Louis for a matinee game on Saturday.
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