The Avs start off their second game of a seven-game homestand by concluding their season series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. A few stunning performances, like a two-goal game from Brent Burns and a two-point game from Victor Olofsson, round out a 4-0 shutout win to improve their home win streak to 17 games.
Tonight was a night for the rested goaltenders to prove just how rested they were. It looked like Elvis Merzlikins had the upper hand on the Avs early, but without getting much help from the team in front of him, he began to fall apart.
Trent Miner is playing his first game since getting recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on January 2nd, and boy, did he show out.
The first period ended up being an exciting one toward the end. Brent Burns broke through a fantastic goaltending performance by a rested Elvis Merzlikins, capitalizing on a rebound to get the Avs on the board first. Victor Olofsson added a second goal for the Avs by the end of the first, his first goal since December 13th against the Nashville Predators.
The second period was a little quieter, but Ilya Solovyov cushioned Colorado’s lead off a crisp pass across the blue line from Parker Kelly to make it 3-0 halfway through the period. This was not only Solovyov’s first of the season, but also his first career NHL goal.
Brent Burns tallied on the Avs’ dominating performance tonight with his second goal of the night, a shot from the blue line that rebounded off Merzlikins and was deflected in by Columbus defenseman Brendan Gaunce to make it 4-0 Avs.
That does it for the second game in a row here at Ball Arena for the Avs. 4-0 win, and Trent Miner earned his first career NHL shutout.
Welcome to the show (officially), Ilya Solovyov!
You always remember your firsts in the NHL. First goals are extra special, and Ilya Solovyov got to experience that today.
With Devon Toews being week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered during the game in Carolina, Solovyov has had to step up to the plate. He had not played since November 1st against the San Jose Sharks. Since returning to the lineup on January 4th, he’s notched a single assist, totaling two assists in 12 GP for the Avs. Tonight’s goal marks three total points on the season for the Belarusian defenseman.
Victor Olofsson’s return to the scoresheet
Before this afternoon’s game, Victor Olofsson had tallied 19 points (7g/12a) in 43 GP. Tonight, he scored his first goal since December 13th against the Nashville Predators.
This rounds out a two-point night for the Swedish forward, and a heck of a night of contributions from the Avs’ depth, like Gavin Brindley, Zakhar Bardakov, Parker Kelly, and Jack Drury, who all had at least one point tonight.
