Colorado Avalanche continue to show the ability to grind out points

The Colorado Avalanche had the unenviable task of spending a night in Minnesota to take on the Wild and they performed admirably in their task of fending off the boredom as they scraped a point out of the entire ordeal in a 2-1 shootout loss.

You know how last Saturday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is the kind of game that you take a friend to if you’re trying to get them into hockey to really show off the speed, skill, and emotion the sport has to offer? Tonight’s game against Minnesota, as they so often are, was the type of game you take someone you don’t really like to so they have every reason to stop talking to you because how dare you?

When I say this was a sleepy game, it’s not a huge surprise. The Avs were playing their third game in four nights so their energy levels were pretty low to begin with after they arrived at their team hotel shortly after 3 AM following last night’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Denver. The Wild’s excuse is, basically, that they’re the Wild. They are missing their best player, Kirill Kaprizov, and their top center, Joel Eriksson-Ek, so the one line they had worth watching wasn’t intact and it meant them rolling four lines of, you know, Minnesota Wild hockey.

That is it to say, wildly unappealing hockey that nobody likes but teams have to implement when they have a serious talent deficiency and need to try to grind out 2-1 wins. 25 years in, it’s amazing the Wild are still at this point, but who am I to judge, I guess? Anyway, it clearly worked because, hey look at that, the final score tonight was 2-1.

Because I am contractually obligated to, let’s talk about this one.

Avalanche deserve some credit for grinding this one out

The Wild were well-rested and haven’t had any travel considerations this week, so they were just hanging out before tonight’s game. Somehow, they didn’t look like it because the Avs jumped all over them early and pounded the Wild with shot attempts, but a few inches separated the Avs and a multi-goal lead as the Avs continued tattooing the posts. This was a theme throughout the evening, but Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson had his moments along the way, too, and the Avs were kept off the board.

To his credit, Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was really damn good, too, and we settled into a classic goaltender duel. It wasn’t like last night’s game in Denver where the Avs and Blackhawks dueled to a 0-0 score after two periods but there were exciting moments along the way. No, this was some Jacques Lemaire-level nonsense where nobody was having fun and everyone was cashing checks.

It was a slog is what I’m saying. The Avs had a ton of shot attempts, but not many of them actually made it on net. Scoring chances and high-danger chances were pretty even, but those couple of inches I mentioned earlier made the difference.

I think plenty of love should go to the Avs for their resilience in the third period. It didn’t look like they had “it” tonight, despite playing with surges of energy and getting some territorial dominance as they trailed 1-0 in the final frame. It was a wild play that tied the game when a Sam Girard backhand from high in the zone was deflected in by Joel Kiviranta, whose insanely productive season continues. I loved that fight and pushback.

Despite the three games in four nights, they never totally looked out of gas for an extended stretch. Any time I started to think, “This is it, this is where their legs go,” they responded with another push. I’m just saying good on them.

Ultimately, their six-game winning streak came to an end, but with the fun caveat that it wasn’t in regulation, so Minnesota only gained one point on them in the standings. I’m just not going to sweat this one. It’s the classic “scheduled loss” and they managed to get a point out of it, which is essentially a half-loss. So, nice. Decent. Acceptable. It’s fine. Whatever deity you believe in, ask them to never subject us to that caliber and pace of hockey ever again. Please.

That one play, though…

I just don’t know what Martin Necas is doing here.

I mean, I really, really don’t. This is a clean breakout up the ice and he…does that. They’re going to put that on the video session in their next meeting and just ask, “Marty, what the hell?” Because, really, what the hell?

The Avs were playing fine. They had given up some scoring chances, but nothing even close to a clear-cut 2v0 inside their own zone to one of the only two players you’re actually worried about scoring a goal against you, Mats Zuccarello (Matt Boldy being the other, obviously). It’s just so bad. It’s hard to win in the NHL, but you’re giving the opposing team chances like THAT? Cooooome ooooooooon, man.

Avalanche goaltenders are still crushing it, though

Blackwood was great tonight. Like Scott Wedgewood last night, he wasn’t super busy in quantity but the quality had its moments tonight. Only one goal beat him before the skills competition portion of the night began (although, you could argue the entire game is a skills competition, couldn’t you? Hmm), following up Wedgewood’s shutout last night.

Is it a little disheartening that the Avs paid exorbitant prices at the trade deadline to bolster their forward depth, specifically at center, and their goaltenders allowed one goal in 120 minutes and the Avs did not walk out with four points in the standings? Yes, it is absolutely disheartening. Is it encouraging that Avalanche goaltenders combined to allow one goal across 120 minutes? It is! And really, it was 125 minutes because Blackwood didn’t allow a goal in the overtime portion of the game tonight.

Of course, that’s probably because Minnesota was playing like a bunch of cowards in OT. They won the opening faceoff, got the puck, and retreated for over two minutes before a failed drop pass by Boldy went offside and they had to drop the puck. The Avs didn’t convert on their opportunities, which came from Val Nichushkin and Girard (again? What?), but the way the Wild refused to attack and even try to score in overtime is everything everyone hates about the conservative kind of hockey that has defined the Wild’s entire existence.

It was embarrassing to watch. Naturally, it worked because we live in a world where dumb stuff is regularly rewarded and everything feels bad all the time, so I suppose it tracks. As good as Blackwood was in the actual hockey part of stuff, he was terrible in the shootout, getting torched by both Zuccarello and Boldy while both Avs shooters on the other end (Necas and Nathan MacKinnon) had the puck hop on them and neither got off clean shots.

Last I checked, however, there were no shootouts in the playoffs, so I won’t be too worried about Blackwood’s struggles in this area. Just maybe don’t let it get to that point in the future, eh Avs skaters?

Anyway, this game was an affront to the senses and had me rethinking my whole love for the sport of hockey so I’m glad it’s over and that the Avs got something out of it. On to Calgary on Friday night.