Studs

Nathan MacKinnon

I’m really not exaggerating when I say that I think MacKinnon was far and away the best Avalanche player in this game and that I don’t really think anyone came close to him. He scored two goals, registered six shots on goal, and was Colorado’s runaway leader in driving the energy in this game for the Avalanche.

This was another in what has been a long line of performances this season that have me believing more and more that MacKinnon is gearing up to put together his most special postseason performance to date. He seemed to thrive when the chaos really broke out in the second period and a couple of bounces here and there could have changed this outcome. Something big is happening with Nathan MacKinnon this season.

Colorado’s heart

You don’t get any credit for getting down 5-1. That’s an embarrassment, no matter what circumstances a team is in. There’s no excusing how truly ghastly the Avalanche played in the first 25 minutes of this hockey game.

But down 5-1 and after having run through a number of their top rivals out west and with a huge game looming on Saturday afternoon, the Avs could have said it simply wasn’t their night and packed it in.

They did not, however, and for that, I am here giving them some credit. Some might call it a moral victory, but I don’t really care. When teams keep pushing the rock up the hill, it’s admirable. Even when they gave up the back-breaking sixth goal to restore a two-goal deficit heading into the third period, the Avs responded by scoring immediately in the third period to make it a one-goal game again.

How do you not love that fight? It’s a crucial element that this team was missing earlier this season. It’s very, very hard to erase four-goal deficits in the NHL. Don’t get down in the first place and I won’t have to pat you on the back for almost climbing back into it.

Duds

Colorado’s defense

I really like writing this piece because it allows me to do some pretty regular film work and break down things from games that I find interesting or educational or informative. Whatever sticks out to me, I can put into this piece.

Tonight, there’s no real video work to be done. There isn’t a need to go back and revisit the abhorrent defensive play that Colorado put on the ice and allowed a high-flying New Jersey offense to boat race them to open up that 5-1 lead.

No, you don’t need video to see where the Avalanche went wrong. All you need is this picture:

Look where all of the goals from New Jersey got scored. Come on. That’s nothing short of embarrassing. I don’t care that Cale Makar didn’t play this game. That’s unacceptable from the Avalanche.

Justus Annunen

I hate this. I was dying for the Avs to complete the comeback and give the kid a shot at redemption in overtime or the shootout or something. It didn’t happen, and when you look at the sixth goal, it’s a total breakdown of fundamentals from Annunen that stick out to me.

Plenty of people will do their hollering at Sam Girard, and there’s no doubt he played this poorly, but it starts and ends with Annunen on that sixth goal. The paddle needs to be on the ice, not flopping around, and then his recovery was an absolute nightmare. It’s not unfair to say that there is a lot for Colorado’s goaltending braintrust to go over with Annunen from this game.

He absolutely didn’t get much help at times. He’s also the goaltender and if you think a goalie is completely absolved of any blame on all six goals, you’re flat-out lying to yourself. His literal job is to be the last line of defense and it was not a good night for him. It’s a tall task with no Makar and taking on a team as good as the Devils, but he got completely overwhelmed and swallowed up by the moment.

The couple of big saves he made after giving up the first five goals only get so much credit, especially when he played such a crucial role in the sixth goal. You hate it for the kid, but this was a rude awakening for the young netminder.

Colorado’s 2nd line

Every single Avalanche line combination that saw time tonight at least broke even in shot share. Every combination except one, that is.

The second line of Newhook-Compher-Rantanen got absolutely stuffed into a locker tonight in the 8:04 they spent together. These numbers are brutally bad:

• 3-19 CF (13%)
• 2-10 SF (16%)
• 13% xGF
• 2-11 SCF (15%)
• 1-7 HDCF (12%)

Hell, just to pour some extra salt into the wound, let’s add that this trio started in the offensive zone three times compared to just two in the defensive zone.

This trio got annihilated, obliterated, shelled. It is precisely the kind of performance against a top forward group that makes people such as myself nervous about the idea of rolling Compher into the postseason as the 2C of choice. It’s

Unsung Hero

There really isn’t a good option for this section tonight, so I’ll just ask a question instead. What in the world did Ryan Graves ever do to Valeri Nichushkin?

He shoots the puck, cross-checks Graves to the ice, then roars in celebration while staring down Graves. It could always be a coincidence and being caught in the moment, but this sure looked like something Nichushkin was all about.