Starting Thursday evening, five points behind the Dallas Stars, the Colorado Avalanche needed a win and got just that. Rookie Justus Annunen was stellar in net, Nathan MacKinnon showed why he’s the best player in the league, and Jonathan Drouin led the way as The Avalanche picked up a crucial two points on the first half of a back-to-back.
Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s win against the Minnesota Wild:
Drouin It All
Jonathan Drouin has entirely re-written his career trajectory this year in Colorado. Thursday night was another example of how. Drouin recorded two goals and 3 points in an iridescent effort in Minnesota. Drouin showcased his offensive skill and his connection with fellow former Halifax Moosehead Nathan MacKinnon, as well as his newfound relentlessness on the backcheck.
With Captain Gabriel Landeskog still in recovery and Valeri Nichushkin missing time, there is no more valuable member of MacKinnon’s supporting cast up front than Drouin. Let’s all collectively try and avoid contemplating how hard it will be to retain him until the off-season.
Throwback Brick-Wall
Watching Thursday’s game reminded me quite a bit of the Patrick Roy coached 2013-14 Colorado Avalanche team: Outscore your problems, your defensemen are just extra forwards, and lean on goaltending.
Rookie Justus Annunen embodied 2013 Semyon Varlamov, saving 44 of 46 shots in a heroic effort. Annunen had a performance that once again saw head coach Jared Bednar asking if Annunen might be given a chance in the starters crease in the post-season, and he earned that appraisal even if Coach Bednar wouldn’t comment.
Annunen’s .957% save percentage was not just about volume. He made impressive cross-crease saves and bailed his teammates out on the penalty kill and in high-danger chances.
Per Natural Stat Trick, Annunen was 11-for-11 on high-danger chances against and 10-for-10 on medium-danger chances against. The only goals Minnesota could find would come on screened bombs on the power play or a perfect one-timer off of a turnover in the slot.
I would argue that Thursday’s game was the best individual performance of any Avalanche goaltender this year.
Hart Taker
Nathan MacKinnon is a player Colorado sports fans will one day tell their children about getting to see play. His three-point night, to match a three-point night from Art Ross and Hart Trophy competitor Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay displayed the routine brilliance MacKinnon has brought all year.
His chemistry with Jonathan Drouin shined in pretty passes, and his presence had the John Hynes-led Wild Defense off-kilter and over-committed all night long. No. 29 will look good in the rafters next to No. 19 when all is said and done.
Looking Ahead
The Avalanche will have to sleep on the plane as they play tomorrow night in Edmonton against the Oilers (45-24-5) and their surging superstar Connor McDavid. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. MT on Thursday night.
Highlights
(Featured Image Credit: AP Photo)
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