Pre-season has started and we got two hockey games out of the deal. The split squad took a full crew on the road to play the Minnesota Wild. It was split more evenly than the groups from training camp with Alex Galchenyuk, Alex Newhook, and Ben Meyers making the trip.
Preseason Game #️⃣1️⃣#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/07vnFxb51u
This road team was filled with more AHL-regulars and young prospects comparatively, but they managed to stay in it against a Minnesota team with a top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ryan Hartman. They fell 3-2 in OT with goals from Spencer Smallman and Shane Bowers.
Shane Bowers ties the game up on a nice feed from Ranta. Good work in the corner by Ben Meyers. pic.twitter.com/br7ls1nYQe
Back at Ball Arena, Colorado hosted the Vegas Golden Knights with a lineup of players who collectively have played more NHL games. Among them was Bo Byram, J.T. Compher, Andrew Cogliano, and Evan Rodrigues.
The points don’t matter, but the opening night lineup has not been solidified and these exhibition games hold the key, especially with an indeterminate timeline for Gabriel Landeskog’s return. The strength of their title defense is only as strong as their preseason games or something like that. (Kidding.) After the groups were split so starkly in camp, there was an eagerness to see the likes of Oskar Olausson, Mikhail Maltsev, and Martin Kaut in gameplay.
But perhaps the most mysterious storyline has been the one in net with Alexandar Georgiev. As is true of the position of goaltending, it can’t be measured in a single night but training camp practice has not been a proper gauge either, and there’s no better time to see what a goaltender is made of than behind a squad of mixed talent and experience. No cheat codes from a defense led by Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
Period 1:
The puck was dropped and we were treated to a top line we will probably seldom see: Oskar Olausson, J.T. Compher, and Evan Rodrigues. At 3:58, Keaton Middleton took a cross-checking penalty, but it was quickly negated before we could really see the PK unit do work due to a VGK bench minor for too many men. The 4v4 that followed was wholly uneventful.
Vegas took two more additional penalties and we saw a glimpse of the powerplay unit:
PP1: J.T. Compher, Oskar Olausson, Andrew Cogliano, Bo Byram, ERod
PP2: Alex Beaucage, Mikhail Maltsev, Jacob MacDonald, Jean-Luc Foudy, Martin Kaut
They struggled to convert on the chances and at 18:54, Justin Scott took a hooking call.
Colorado’s penalty kill went 1/2. The PP goal against happened with less than a minute remaining: Paul Cotter’s shot dropped in at 19:08. The first period ended with Vegas up by one.
VGK outshot Colorado by a close margin of 10-9. Georgiev looked sharp – with clear vision through traffic and quick reaction times. The pace of the first period was different from what we’re used to with Avalanche hockey: a lot slower back and forth which didn’t keep Georgiev too busy as a result.
Period 2:
About midway through, Georgiev was pulled to give Jonas Johanssen a chance in net. He made 12 of 13 saves and had a nice first showing.
“I think it went pretty well,” Georgiev said of his first game. “[I was] really excited to get back into it. [There was] a great atmosphere in the building. I felt in it from the start.”
“Being in that game mode, being able to be focused the whole time and seeing the plays [is] a bit different from practice. I already know [a couple of things I] want to work on,” he added.
At 11:40 into the 2nd, Zach Hayes boarded Evan Rodrigues. Rodrigues was waiting on a lowered knee for an angled feed up ice near the red line – very similar to Landeskog’s hit on Kirby Dach early last year. Hayes caught him in an awkward position along the boards. Rodrigues went down the tunnel to get evaluated quickly but returned to the game. Keaton Middleton, ever the teammate, was ready to rumble but was ultimately held back. Unfortunately the powerplay continued to lack the necessary finish, so Rodrigues was not vindicated by the man advantage.
Johansson saw even less action but made 2/2 saves. Colorado now was 0/6 on the PP and Martin Kaut took two hooking penalties, but thankfully the PK held tough (5/6 killed). The Avs outshot Vegas 10-5 in that frame, but Colorado was unable to level the score and remained down by one goal.
Period 3:
Braydon Pachal tripped Evan Rodrigues at 0:40 into the period and the resulting powerplay finally got it done. Good puck movement between Jacob Macdonald, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Alex Beaucage resulted in an opportunity for Beaucage to wind up his shot from the left circle and in. It was familiar for all of these players who have played on the Eagles powerplay together.
With 6:49 remaining, Compher walked the goal line with a patient toe drag – he lifted it in top shelf over Jiri Pateras glove on the powerplay. Colorado had their first lead of the game 2-1. At 18:51, Byram gave the puck a long bounce from the defensive blueline to send it into the empty net at the other end of the ice. Colorado won 3-1. Johansson made 10/10 saves.
It would be considered a weird game if it wasn’t preseason. There were 5 infractions on their end and Colorado’s powerplay went 2/9. A lack of 5v5 play disrupted the flow and the bottom 6 was clearly experimenting with their lines. Even the defensive group was mixed up a bit at points with Byram and MacDonald being the solidified top pair.
The second line consisted of Andrew Cogliano, Mikhail Maltsev, and Logan O’Connor. Maltsev quietly had a solid game and became more visible in the third period (18:53 TOI).
Observations:
- I appreciated Oskar Olausson’s fit on the top powerplay unit and line. He was given the most leash of the young players and looked the most visible. He was not without error, sometimes hesitating to take the shot at the circle but other times letting it rip. The powerplay generally moved the puck well but took unusual shot selections at points. He was able to go where he works best, as a triggerman, and I think it will help his confidence. He did not look buried by the responsibility he was given either. In his postgame, Olausson talked about wanting to make better decisions with the puck. He admitted he made some mistakes, but felt that he had a decent game. I liked his even-keeled response.
- Evan Rodrigues brings valuable qualities to the table. He is a great setup guy with good vision – he can see the passing lanes in chaos. He also drew two tripped penalties with his effort and speed, forcing VGK’s hand and catching them too far outstretched resulting in calls.
