In a potential Stanley Cup Final preview on Thursday night that felt every bit of the intensity that implies, the Colorado Avalanche came up short in the dreaded shootout 3-2.
Despite controlling play in overtime and most of the final frame, the Avalanche will walk away from Ball Arena with only one point. More heartbreakingly, Nathan Mackinnon’s 35-game home point streak comes to an end due to a controversial scorer’s decision.
Let’s dive in:
Toews Unassisted
Let’s rip the band-aid off right away: I do think Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren tapped the second Avalanche goal into his own net, leaving the official scorer’s decision of Devon Toews (unassisted) as correct. It sure didn’t look that way without an overhead close-up, though. It appeared to all in attendance that Mackinnon and Toews assisted a Mikko Rantanen rebound to tie the game late in the third. Alas, not to be, though, as Mackinnon would tell you he cares more about the scoreboard than the stats, and despite losing a carnival game, the Avalanche impressed where it counts.
Playoff Hockey
This game was a must-watch from start to finish between two very good teams in late-season form. As you can see in the chart below, Colorado controlled the scoring chances most of the night, but Igor Shesterkin stood on his head, and the puck luck wasn’t there for the Avalanche. This game should be a must-watch on ESPN Powerplay for everyone who missed it Thursday night, and we can all look forward to seven games of this in May.
Abolish The Shootout
Look, this isn’t an original take, but ending an amazing back-and-forth game with a dopey skills competition has to be a thing of the past ASAP. The Avalanche ultimately did not perform in the shootout, scoring zero of two and allowing two of three attempts. The skill set to win a shootout and the skill set to win a hockey game have about as much in common as ending NBA games with a dunk contest. Or eliminating extra innings in favor of a home run derby, the point being that it’s criminal for a high-intensity nail-biter to end that way. Oh well, only nine games are remaining with this silly ruleset.
Du(haime)ing it all
A standout tonight when given extra ice was Brandon Duhaime. With Valeri Nichuskin day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Joel Kiviranta battling a nasty bug, Duhaime slotted into the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and registered an impressive assist on the first Avalanche goal. The fight Duhaime showed on the forecheck or in front of the net really elevated the entire second line. With Miles Wood snake-bitten and Ross Colton seeing a bit of a slump, role-players like Duhaime stepping up is excellent news for the Avalanche, and he should have earned himself some extra ice time from coach Jared Bednar tonight.
Looking Ahead
The Avalanche host the red-hot Nashville Predators (43-25-4) who have gone 16-0-2 in their last 18 games. Puck drop is at 4:00 p.m. MT on Saturday.
Highlights
(Featured Image Credit: AP Photo)
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