The Colorado Avalanche have been riding high of late. They got revenge on the Washington Capitals for an earlier loss, then upped their winning streak to three games by drubbing the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 7-4 on their own home ice.
On Monday, the Avalanche squared off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, looking to avenge a Halloween Eve 5-2 loss in the midst of what was an ugly losing streak for the team. Instead, the Avalanche got buried and did so early. There are somehow a few takeaways from the 8-2 loss to the Lightning, so let’s get right into it.
On the Wrong Side of History
To say that Lightning forward Brandon Hagel had himself a night would be an understatement. The Avalanche found themselves on the wrong side of Lightning history on Monday night in a couple of ways. Firstly, Hagel had four assists in the first period, tying the NHL record.
Secondly, Hagel tied the franchise record for assists in one game with five on the night. He joins Mark Recchi (March 1, 2009), Martin St. Louis (Nov. 18, 2010), and Darren Raddysh (March 9, 2024) at the top of the list. Perhaps more impressively, it took him less than 30 minutes to hit the mark.
Hagel assisted on five of the first six goals from Tampa Bay, helping bury the Avalanche before the first buzzer sounded. He is also quietly having the best season of his career with 26 points through the team’s first 20 games. It’s also his third straight game with multiple points, putting him on a hot streak unlike any he’s had before.
A Nightmare for Goaltenders
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: goaltending was an issue for the Avalanche. It has been arguably the talking point this season, and that’s saying something given how many injuries the Avalanche have had to deal with so far. On Monday night, “atrocious” would have been an upgrade to what we actually saw.
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Justus Annunen got the nod on Monday, his first start since a win in Philadelphia on Nov. 18. He faced all of 12 shots in the first period, giving up five of them, before being pulled at the start of the second period for the embattled Alex Georgiev. Unfortunately, it went no better for him. He gave up three goals on 14 shots, even breaking his stick in frustration after one of the goals.
Georgiev lasted just under 30 minutes, eventually giving way to Annunen again in the third period. Thankfully, the onslaught had stopped and Annunen got out of it without another goal against. It’s one of those nights that are so bad for a goaltender that all you can do is push it to the back of your mind and forget about it.
Ivan Ivan Had a Night
If there was one bright side to the entire night – and there really was only one – it would be Ivan Ivan’s performance. The young winger has had an up-and-down start to his season, but he was the lone Avalanche scorer on the night, getting both tallies for the team.
Particularly impressive was his second goal, a slick rush that began in his own zone and included a move at the blue line that nearly went through his own teammate’s skates. Ivan recovered the puck and fired off a wrist shot from just above the hash marks that hit Andrei Vasilevskiy, ricocheted off of Brayden Point, and found itself in the net.
It was one of those goals that almost became comical given how the night had gone. Secondary scoring is always needed, especially given the fact that superstar Nathan MacKinnon has just two assists (and points) over his last five games.
Move on Immediately
To quote the great show Letterkenny: “Sometimes you get speed-bagged.” The Lightning poured it on in the opening frame and didn’t stop until midway through the third period. There are virtually no positive takeaways from this one and the Avalanche will collectively move on because that’s all there is to be done.
The Avalanche won’t have long to rebound, hosting the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. There will be few “easy” games given the division, and the Avalanche have a tough half-dozen games ahead of them. All there is to do is dust yourself off, get back on the horse, and try to do better the next time around.
