The Colorado Avalanche are hitting an interesting point in the young season. Recent reports suggest that Valeri Nichushkin will return on Nov. 15, welcome news after the Avalanche were shut out by their division rival the Winnipeg Jets. They rebounded with an exciting 6-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, setting up a key game with the Nashville Predators.
It took some time to get going but the Avalanche managed to grab the overtime victory and the extra point. Here’s what we were able to take away from the Avalanche’s 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.
Slow Start, Strong Finish
Things didn’t exactly get off to an ideal start for the Avalanche. Luke Evangelista got the Predators on the board early, picking up his second goal of the season just 1:45 into the game. The Predators had the clear advantage in the first period, doubling the Avalanche in shots 12-6 in the process.
For the most part, the Avalanche offense has continued to chug along even without key contributors. It helps when you have three of the top-10 point producers in the league, but even those guys need help from time to time. The reinforcements are on the way, so that pressure should lead to a freer style of play for guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
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The Avalanche started picking it up in the second, tying the game up inside the first five minutes. They would take the lead with Rantanen’s ninth of the season seven minutes later. Despite outshooting the Predators 15-5, the visitors tied the score just 0:59 into the third period, setting the stage for the eventual overtime.
Defensive Contributions
More often than not, we are discussing what ridiculous thing MacKinnon has done. Rantanen has quietly been one of the best scorers in the league. And more often than not, the offensive contributions coming from the back end are mostly from the otherworldly Cale Makar.
This time, Makar wasn’t heard from, but the defensive contributions didn’t cease. Devon Toews started the scoring for the team, getting his first of the season in the process. Rantanen and MacKinnon got on the board, but it would be Samuel Girard’s first of the season that sent everyone home happy.
The Avalanche have four guys playing at a point-per-game clip right now, but they need more out of the secondary scoring. Only Ross Colton (out of the lineup) and Girard are close to double-digits in points, the rest lagging behind with a handful of points through 16 games. Getting secondary scoring from anywhere will prove helpful in the long run.
Georgiev with Another Strong Start
Don’t look now, but the pariah himself has started to come around. After an absolutely brutal first six starts, Alex Georgiev has started to look like the solid starter that we’ve all known him to be the past two seasons. It’s good to see his confidence rebound and nice to know that the Avalanche might have a dependable duo instead of a solid yet unproven starter and a bunch of questions.
For the second time in three starts, Georgiev allowed two goals or fewer. He gave up four against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (Nov. 9) but played a better game than the numbers showed. Still, it is these kinds of performances that will get him back into the good graces of the fan base.
The goaltending situation is far from resolved but it is at least trending in the right direction. The team, as a whole, is beginning to come together. They are suddenly in a wild card spot, just two points back of the Dallas Stars for third in the division.
Avalanche Gaining Momentum
It took some time, but the Avalanche are moving in the right direction. They are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games but are starting to show that they are better than most of the other teams in the Central Division. Games against Dallas, Winnipeg, and the Minnesota Wild will be pivotal from here on out.
Given how the season began and how flawed the roster was, it should be a boost in more ways than one when Nichushkin gets back. Getting healthy is the goal right now for the Avalanche. Doing so will make them a formidable opponent any night of the week.
