HIGHLIGHTS
GAME RUNDOWN
The Colorade Avalanche and slow starts have gone hand-in-hand so far this season and we’ve written about it in nearly every game recap up to this point. Against the Nashville Predators tonight, the Avalanche started out hot, jumping out to a big lead in shots on goal and pacing play for the first five or so minutes.
The Predators pushed back, however, and a broken breakout attempt by Nikita Zadorov turned into a turnover and Mike Fisher lost Cody McLeod in the shuffle of bodies and beat Avs goaltender Calvin Pickard with a weak shot Pickard would surely like a second chance with to make it 1-0.
Colorado waited all of 66 seconds to tie the game as Mikko Rantanen put home a rebound after Fedor Tyutin’s shot from the point was tipped by Rene Bourque. Rantanen’s third goal of the season tied the game at 1-1 and send the Avalanche into the second period with the momentum.
The momentum last exactly seven seconds as Viktor Arvidsson took a stretch pass from P.K. Subban, split the Avs defense and beat Pickard with a shot high to the glove side to make it 2-1 in the blink of an eye.
Nashville continued pouring it on as a Roman Josi shot from the point went off Carl Soderberg’s back, landed right in front of Kevin Fiala, whose stick wasn’t tied up by Tyson Barrie, and he beat a scrambling Pickard to make it 3-1 just 3:04 into the period.
One of the few consistent aspects of this Colorado offense this season has been the Rene Bourque tip-in goal and we got another one tonight, this time as Rantanen passed the puck to the point, where Zadorov fired the puck towards Preds goalie Pekka Rinne but the Bourque tip was too good and the game was 3-2 just like that.
The late period Avalanche momentum once again turned into an early-period goal for Nashville as Ryan Johansen walked around Patrick Wiercioch and then made Pickard look awful en route to making it 4-2 Nashville just 34 seconds into the third period.
Nashville wasn’t done as Austin Watson tipped a Josi shot from the point past Pickard at 2:34 of the third, making it 5-2 and eviscerating an already lathargic Pepsi Center crowd.
The Avalanche actually found some energy shortly after as Barrie made a great spin move at the blue line, drove the puck to the corner and made a perfect center pass to Mikhail Grigorenko, who turned and backhanded the puck past Rinne to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Despite an Avalanche push at the end, the score would remain and Colorado would drop to 0-2-1 on their homestand.
THREE STARS
1. Ryan Johansen
2. Austin Watson
3. Mikko Rantanen
PLAY OF THE GAME
It may not have made a difference in the outcome but the Barrie-Grigorenko goal was nothing short of beautiful hockey, from Barrie’s spin move at the blue line to Grigorenko’s finish.
TURNING POINT
Johansen’s goal at the start of the third period was a backbreaker and the Avalanche never full recovered from yet another first-minute goal.
BY THE NUMBERS
WHAT’S NEXT
Colorado’s homestand continues Thursday as the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time.
