I spent the majority of this game waiting for the kind of soft goal against the run of play that has been the specialty of Avs goalies this season. Mercifully, it never came. A relief after national pundits spent the past two days proclaiming that the Avs were finished if they didn’t trade for John Gibson. Nevermind the onerous (odiferous?) contract and the fact that he’s been bad for going on six seasons.

Another amusing narrative was the TNT panel saying during one of the intermissions that Jack Eichel is the best American center. If that’s the case (it’s not), the US’s best just got mollywopped by Canada’s number two. They better hope that four nations Hellebuyck isn’t playoff Hellebuyck.

Little wonder Georgiev cheated toward the middle after the way the Avs have let passes through there all year.