A 19-year-old just had a monster of a game on the biggest stage

He wasn’t there for any of the 48 excruciating points earned last season by the Colorado Avalanche.

He wasn’t there over the summer when the organization came under fire for being too conservative in addressing their blue line deficiencies.

And he wasn’t there when the new season began with the shadow of last season’s problems still darkening the light of new beginnings.

But tonight, on the biggest stage of his young career, 19-year-old Sam Girard made sure everyone knew he was there.

His rocket of a slap shot beat St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen and put Colorado ahead 1-0 in what was essentially a play-in game to secure the final playoff spot. The goal, just his fourth of the season, was followed immediately by Girard breaking his customary cool-as-a-cucumber character and fist-pumping multiple times while unleashing a roar Godzilla would be proud of before his teammates arrived to mob him in celebration.

That celebration would turn out to be just the beginning of an awful lot of celebrating the Avalanche did on this night. Their eventual 5-2 victory secured their postseason berth and a matchup with the Nashville Predators, a matchup nightmare that has many predicting a short series.

But all of that can wait until later. On this night, it was captain Gabe Landeskog setting the tone early with his physical play and then Girard’s arsenal of weapons was on full display as he took over from the blue line.

The goal was a game-changing moment as the Avalanche dominated the opening period but the Blues and Allen had weathered the storm of a tough opening period on the road, especially after playing last night in Chicago. Instead of going into the locker room with confidence, the Blues were forced to swallow the reality of a one-goal deficit and losing their best offensive weapon, Vladimir Tarasenko, to injury.

The Avalanche would continue to build the lead but Girard’s brilliance came in all zones tonight. With Girard on the ice, the Avalanche were nothing short of exceptional. In his 19:31 of even strength time, the game was played at a high-event pace that significantly favored the Avalanche. They generated a team-high 15 scoring chances versus just seven against and put 17 of their 39 shots on goal with Girard on the ice at even strength. Those shot totals put him in a tie with Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon, which is exactly the kind of company you want to keep.

Maybe the craziest part of Girard’s performance was he still showed the flaws in his game as he was responsible for a couple of questionable turnovers, including one avoidable icing, that highlight just how high his ceiling is and the general up-and-down nature of a teenager at the highest level of the sport.

His season totals of 23 points (4 g, 19 a) in 73 (68 in Colorado) games played don’t jump off the page when you look at them on the surface. Being stuck behind an elite point producer like Tyson Barrie limits his opportunities for heavy offensive zone starts and major power play time but the real number that tells Girard’s story has been his ice time down the stretch.

Needing to help make up for the loss of Erik Johnson to another injury, Girard’s ice time has spiked in the last five games with him registering over 20 minutes played in each of them. In his 20:19 of total ice time tonight, Girard stuffed the stat sheet with two shots on goal, one hit, one blocked shot, and, obviously, the goal he scored.

What does not show up in the box score is the number of excellent plays he made with his stick, forcing attacking puck carriers wide, down low, or generally away from dangerous scoring areas. Generously listed at 5’10” and 162 pounds, the diminutive Girard chooses to play with a short stick to boot. And somehow, all of the inherent limitations didn’t stop him from coming up big when his team needed it the most.

As one of many faces of the Matt Duchene trade, it’s telling that the former Av forward was facing another depressing round of exit interviews while Girard was preparing to take his game to the postseason. The next daunting task facing Girard is slowing down the team that drafted him and was very reluctant to give him up. And yet, feeling the addition of Kyle Turris would help put them over the top in a Cup run, the Predators ultimately decided it was worth moving on from Girard.

While that may prove to be a good decision for the Predators this year, this glimpse into the player Girard is hoping to become full-time is enough to make everyone in the Avalanche organization plenty satisfied.

It’s everyone else who should be worried that Sam Girard is here to stay.