As Central Division Title Beckons, Avs a Force to be Reckoned With

Colorado controls their own destiny and this post-deadline team cannot be denied. The quest for the Central Division title was threatened in February, but now they’ve won six-straight.

Even with illness running through the Colorado Avalanche and bodies coming in and out, their will to win remains an important part of their DNA no matter who’s dressed.

It helps to have Nathan MacKinnon in your lineup too.

In their 18th head-to-head meeting, Connor McDavid brought three points in each of his last two contests, a stretch that included consecutive multi-assist games.

MacKinnon carried two points in each of his last two. Both had two of the top-13 longest home point streaks in NHL history, and MacKinnon came into Rogers Place and snapped McDavid’s streak at 26 games.

Meanwhile, MacKinnon extended his own point-streak to 15 games.

Walked All Over

In just his fourth game in an Avs uniform, Sean Walker demonstrated why Chris MacFarland targeted him at the deadline. It was always bigger than offloading Ryan Johansen’s contract. Colorado’s lucky Philadelphia was an agreeable seller because they had a piece the Avs coveted in Walker.

Bowen Byram left big shoes to fill, and Walker was the guy. They needed him before they could even consider moving Byram for Casey Mittelstadt.

Josh Manson had a monster-night, but Walker was right there behind him with a 64.10 Corsi-for percentage at even strength.

Walker finished with two goals and he was denied by the crossbar in overtime – a hat trick very much in sight. In a three-goal game decided in OT, Walker’s two goals carried huge value.

Both goals involved Walker’s willingness to activate and jump into the play.

On his first goal, Artturi Lehkonen sent a stretch pass in the neutral zone to spring Walker off the rush. Walker skated in and opted to wrist the puck far-post himself and put the Avs on the board first. Walker anticipated Lehkonen’s feed and used his speed to advance the zone.

Edmonton struck twice and briefly took the lead, but Colorado didn’t go away.

Jack Johnson battled along the boards to keep possession in the offensive zone. Jonathan Drouin sent the puck behind the net, and Mittelstadt carried it to the bottom of the right-circle. Mittelstadt found Walker streaking down the slot and teed him up to snap the puck into the net.

His game-tying goal forced overtime and gave the Avs a chance to steal two points.

Walker finished with three shots on net and two additional attempts. Outside of the ever-reliable-defensively Jack Johnson, Walker and Manson finished with some of the fewest scoring-chances-against of all the defensemen.

Monster Mash

Not lost in the overtime thriller and Sean Walker-hype was the insane game from Josh Manson.

Let’s get the Sam Carrick goal out of the way. Edmonton moved the puck behind the net. Carrick won a battle against Sam Girard, and Manson fell while stripping Corey Perry of his stick. Perry kicked the puck to Mattias Janmark to keep the play alive.

Janmark sent the puck to the slot and Carrick wristed it in over Alexander Georgiev’s glove. Girard and Manson kind of lost their guy there and Ross Colton missed a step chasing Janmark around (leaving the net-front open).

Outside of a small blip with shared responsibility all around, Manson was excellent.

Manson had two scoring attempts and led the team in hits with four (tied with Yakov Trenin). He recorded the best Corsi-for percentage (69.05%) at even strength behind only Nathan MacKinnon.

He was solid on Colorado’s successful lone penalty kill against one of the best powerplays in the league.

Manson dished a big hit on McDavid and answered for his physicality with a handily beat down of Vincent Desharnais.

He was punishing and posed a threat in both ends. Plus, he drew a penalty in the neutral zone.

Manson also danced down the slot in the second period (and missed) but his handling reminded me of what he showed in the 2022 Cup run.

Lehky Charms

Artturi Lehkonen missed the last two games and immediately made an impact in his return. His line with Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin was an effective possession line. Drouin has stepped up in his retrievals and it’s a staple of Lehkonen’s game.

On Walker’s first goal, Lehkonen stripped Warren Foegele of the puck and Jack Johnson helped to rescue the puck from Ryan McLeod at the wall. From there, Lehkonen recovered the puck from the battle and weathered some contact in the neutral zone just in time to spring Walker off the rush.

Then on the game winner with half a second left, Cale Makar moved the puck out with a stretch pass, MacKinnon chased it down into Edmonton’s end. MacKinnon launched it across the slot to Lehkonen and Lehkonen stuffed it five-hole.

Lehkonen notably outworked Leon Draisaitl to the net-front to make it possible.

MacKinnon’s assist on the goal extended his point streak to 15 games and Lehkonen became the second player in franchise history to score a goal in the final second of an overtime period, joining Matt Duchene (March 10, 2013).

Colorado’s fourth line battled all night – Andrew Cogliano, Brandon Duhaime, and Yakov Trenin allowed very little scoring-chances-against. On a night where Ross Colton struggled, Trenin in particular was deployed a little more. He helped in a big way on the penalty kill and won four of five d-zone draws.

All that to say, Lehkonen allowed the fewest scoring-chances-against of any forward outside the incredibly responsible fourth line. Drouin was right there with him which corroborated his improved two-way play.

Fits like a Mitt

I’m getting a little carried away with these titles, but on the heels of compliments to Lehkonen and Drouins’ game, Casey Mittelstadt is due for some too.

His fit is emphasized when he’s paired with players as responsible as they are skilled. You’d like to see him shoot just a touch more, but his play making makes up for it.

His vision on Walker’s second goal highlights the stark improvement to Colorado’s forward group. He’s deep in the play and evasive. He had the wherewithal to find Walker coming down the slot and his pass slipped through a near-impossible seam between Brett Kulak, Cody Ceci, and Perry.

Later in overtime on a shift with Mikko Rantanen, it seemed like the unit had run out of room. They cycled the puck but struggled to get inside ice. Mittelstadt found a seam and slipped the puck to Rantanen down the slot for a solid chance.

His handling is so slick and he can use it to create time and space where there isn’t any. He also recorded two takeaways and teased a predatory instinct that suits Lehkonen’s game very well.

This was a very fun game for the Avs.