Blue line offense and Varlamov carry Avs to 3-2 win in Columbus

HIGHLIGHTS

GAME RUNDOWN

Monday night the Colorado Avalanche visited Columbus to face a red-hot Blue Jackets team riding a league-best power play and favorable shooting percentages to the tune of a 7-1-1 stretch in the face of some poor underlying numbers. Despite another tough start, strong play from the Avalanche in the second period was enough to give the Avalanche a victory and get the team back to a .500 record.

A carbon copy of the Dallas and Minnesota games on this road trip, the Avalanche surrendered the first goal 0ff a bad bounce on a shot headed well wide of the net. This time, Cam Atkinson fired the puck wide where Nathan MacKinnon redirected the puck off Nikita Zadorov and then off the back of Semyon Varlamov’s leg, before crossing the goal line. The unfortunate first goal signaled the beginning of a very tough stretch for the Avalanche, where the Blue Jackets ran roughshod all over the Avalanche, but Semyon Varlamov made 13 saves in a strong first-period effort.

The Avs responded well in the second period and jumped all over the Blue Jackets for the first 7 shots on goal in the period and quickly earned a power play with their hard work in the Columbus zone.  Just as the Avalanche power play expired, Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Barrie played give-and-go at the blue line to open up a shooting lane for the Avs’ top puck moving defenseman. Barrie rifled a slapshot from the point that found its way through traffic and beat Curtis McElhinney to tie the game.

The Avs continued to pour things on in the second period after Barrie’s goal and earned their first lead of the night halfway through the middle frame. The play started with a great play at the blue line by Fedor Tyutin to open up space and give Nathan MacKinnon the puck on the left half-wall. MacKinnon opened up his hips and fired a saucer pass cross-ice to a pinching Erik Johnson who snuck a wrist shot through a crowd for his first goal of the year.

Late in the third period the Blue Jacket’s league-best power play nearly tied the game when Boone Jenner fired the puck past a sprawling Semyon Varlamov, but after a coaches challenge from Jared Bednar, the officials determined that Scott Hartnell had interfered with the Avalanche goaltender.

Unfortunately, the Avalanche were unable to keep the pressure on in the third period and Columbus tilted the ice drastically in their favor for the bulk of the third period. Semyon Varlamov performed heroically in the Avalanche net, denying Columbus on a number of high-quality chances and stopping 15 shots in the third period, but his effort wouldn’t be enough to get the Avalanche a regulation win. With the goalie pulled and a faceoff in the Avalanche zone, the Blue Jackets peppered Varlamov again and Cam Atkinson fired a beautiful wrist shot past the Avs’ goalie to tie the game in the final 7 seconds.

Once again the Avalanche ended the overtime period quickly. After a few quick but harmless opportunities for the Blue Jackets, Erik Johnson raced down the right wing with the puck and turned around Columbus phenom Zach Werenski before sliding a perfect pass across to Matt Duchene. Duchene easily directed the puck into a wide open net on the back door for the overtime game winner.

THREE STARS

1. Semyon Varlamov: 40 saves, .952 SV%
2. Cam Atkinson: 2 G, 7 SOG
3. Erik Johnson: 1 G, 1 A, 5 SOG, 22:50 TOI

PLAY OF THE GAME

Erik Johnson’s break down the wing and beautiful pass on the Avs’ overtime winner showed everything that makes the big blue-liner an offensive threat.

TURNING POINT

You could pick any number of Semyon Varlamov’s sequences in net as the turning point of this game, but this series, after the no-goal call on the Blue Jacket’s power play, preserved the Avs’ lead late.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Avalanche got shelled by the Blue Jackets in the shot department, but Semyon Varlamov stole 2 points on the road.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Avalanche return home for a five-game homestand beginning with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.