Even Derick Brassard is no cure for the Avalanche overtime curse

It was all right there for it to be a storybook day for Derick Brassard. Start the day with one team, play for the other just down the hall. Score the go-ahead goal with about 12 minutes left in the game, despite almost no sleep the night before and not having skated for three days.

It’s still a great story. But one that didn’t have a happy ending.

That’s because the Avalanche just found a way to kick away what should have been a fairly easy victory against the visiting Florida Panthers. The game, of course, was over when it went to overtime. Because, that’s what the 2018-19 Avalanche does: they lose games in overtime.

Like, every one.

Colorado is now a “is that even possible?” 1-12 in overtime this season. Semyon Varlamov allowed a shot through the 5-hole on the only shot he faced, 26 seconds into OT and the Avs lost what would have been the extra point that would have put them into the second Wild Card spot in the West. They are now tied with the Minnesota Wild in points (66), with each team having 19 games left.

Geez, if the Avs could just be .500 in OT this year, they’d probably have a playoff spot locked up by now. But it was just the same, old tired thing: As soon as the opponent gets the puck with any kind of dangerous chance, it winds up swiftly in the back of the net.

Twelve lost points so far on the season. Twelve.

Why does this keep happening? Nobody seems to know, and everybody is tired of talking about it.

“You’ve got to check hard in overtime,” Jared Bednar said.

Ergo, the Avs just haven’t done it well enough at all in OTs this year. And it’s just killing them.

The Avs blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in this one. They played a really good first 38 minutes of the game, barely giving Florida anything and doing a lot of really good things. But they let up, started trading chances with the Panthers, maybe thinking the hard work for the night was done, and they got burned by a team that has a lot of skill.

Florida scored two goals in the final two minutes, including one on a power play after a Nikita Zadorov interference penalty.

But Brassard, acquired earlier in the day for a third-round pick in 2020, scored at 7:49 of the third, one-timing a puck home after a great end-around rush and pass from Ryan Graves.

“I was up this morning at 6, because I wanted to know where I was going,” Brassard said.

Brassard didn’t find out until about 11:45 a.m., right after he’d stepped foot on the ice, still as a Panther, for the morning skate.

“It’s been a long day, a lot of stress involved in that,” Brassard said. “I was on the ice for like five seconds and then they called me off. So, the timing of it wasn’t great, because I hadn’t skated for three days and I was really hoping I could go on the ice this morning and move around. But I really enjoyed my first game. I wish we would have got the two points. I knew they wouldn’t quit when it was 2-0. They’re really close to having a legit team in the East. They’ve got a couple real good pieces – Barkov and Trocheck – to build on.”

It was just a really bad loss, though. You just can’t come home from a two-game road trip where you beat two tough division teams, then lose at home to the Florida Panthers. The 12 lost points are killers.

There are still 19 games to go, plenty of games to right things for a playoff spot.

Let’s just hope none of the games go to OT.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

• So, Joe Sakic said he had been talking with the Panthers for at least a few days about Brassard. The injury to Matt Nieto did not accelerate the trade talks, Sakic said. Nieto will be lost 6-8 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, sustained Friday in Chicago after blocking a shot.

Sakic called Brassard a “smart, versatile” player, who can play most anywhere, including special teams. This is a guy who was a very good player with the New York Rangers, who had 21 goals last season. He’s had a tough 2018-19, but I think it’s just been one of those years more than a serious decline.

I think it was a good pickup by Sakic. You never know what a third-round pick can turn into, but the Avs have two first-rounders, one second-rounder and two third-rounders this year alone. They could afford to get a guy like Brassard for one a 2020 third-rounder.

• The Avs sent A.J. Greer and Andrew Agozzino back to the Eagles earlier in the day. Gabriel Bourque returned to the lineup. No, judging by my Twitter feed, not too many of you were happy about that. Bourque took a penalty in his little more than six minutes of ice time.
• In the press box, I sat right beside two pretty good players in their day, Chris Pronger and Peter Mahovlich. Both work for the Panthers. Mahovlich is fun to listen to during a game. Very vocal. He was a happy man when that final puck went in.

NOTES AND QUOTES FROM AVS PR
The Avs and Panthers concluded their two-game season series. Colorado finished 1-0-1 against Florida in 2018-19.
The Avalanche is 4-0-1 in its last five games and 5-1-1 over its last seven contests. The Avs have gained points in nine of their last 11 outings (5-2-4).
The Avs have averaged 4.6 goals-per-game over their last five contests, outscoring opponents 23-8 over that span. Colorado ranks ninth overall in goals-per-game with 3.32.
Florida’s 20 shots in the second period matches a season-high for shots allowed in a frame by Colorado this season (3x – last: Dec. 15 vs. Dallas).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Roberto Luongo recorded his 485th career win, passing Ed Belfour to
take sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
Derick Brassard scored his first goal as a member of the Avalanche,
playing in his first contest with the club after being acquired from the
Panthers earlier in the day.
Mikko Rantanen notched a goal to move into a tie with Nathan MacKinnon for the team lead in points (80). Rantanen is four points shy of his career high set last season. He and MacKinnon are tied for fourth in the league in points. Tyson Barrie finished with two assists, his eighth multi-point game of the season. He now has 44 points in 2018-19, ranked 11th among NHL defensemen. Barrie has recorded three points (0g, 3a) in his last two
games.

Tyson Jost recorded his ninth goal of the season and has tallied five points (3g, 2a) over his last five contests. He matched a season high with five shots (also: Dec. 6, 2018 at Florida).

Patrik Nemeth registered an assist and has three points (0g, 3a) in his last three games.
Keith Yandle skated in his 776th consecutive regular-season game, tying Craig Ramsay for the fifth-longest Ironman streak in NHL history.
QUOTES
Colorado C Derick Brassard
On Playing In His First Game With Colorado: “In the first period, it took me a few shifts to kind of get used to it and be comfortable out there and as far as the goal there, it was a great play by Gravesy (Colorado D Ryan Graves) there. I guess they fell asleep there, I was just coming down the middle and it was a great play by him to be patient and just go around the net. I felt like we played a good game in general. You know, maybe we needed a little more tonight and that’s why we didn’t get the extra point.”
On Tonight’s Game: “It was a fun night. It’s always a good atmosphere here and coming from a visiting team, it’s always a special place. I’m going to try and play well here for the team and the fans.”
Colorado LW Matt Calvert
On the Acquisition of Colorado C Derick Brassard: “First off, I think you know you’re excited because he’s a great team guy. You know, when I first came to the league, he took me in. I stayed with him for a month or two at his house, so I got to know him well and I’ve kind of followed his career since and kept close in touch. I’ve seen him at a few weddings over the summer, so great addition for our team, a lot of talent, and he’s only going to help our playoff chances.”
On The Rhythm Of The Third Period: “It was a little unusual. They were icing the puck quite a bit, anytime we got pressure. [It was] kind of a weird game, but we got to find a way to get two points. Every point is going to matter down the stretch and we have to turn our focus to the next game.”
Florida G Roberto Luongo
On Tonight’s Game: “I’m happier we got the two points and it’s a big road win for our club against a team that’s one of the good teams. They had won four in a row, so it was a gutsy effort for our club on a road game in a tough building.”
On Feeling Sharp: “When I got to the rink and skated, I knew right away that I was seeing the puck well, so that’s always a good feeling to have. I was able to make some good saves, but twice we were down and both times we battled back to tie it up, so got to give the guys a lot of credit for that.”
Florida LW Mike Hoffman
On Tonight’s Game: “I thought Lou (Florida G Roberto Luongo) really kept us in the game early on. Without a lot of those big saves, we’d be down at least two, maybe three, goals. Those are tough hills to climb back in this league especially against a good team like Colorado. But he made saves for us and waited for us to get it going a little bit and we started to turn it on second part of the game.”
On His Goal: “I think it was a big goal. (Florida D Keith) Yandle made a great pass to me in the back door so, we were able to tie it up and get a little bit more momentum back on our side after they got one. And then it was pretty much a 50-50 game going on, and anything can happen in overtime.