WHERE/WHEN
October 30, 2015 Game 10
PNC Arena Raleigh, North Carolina
HIGHLIGHTS
Special teams has been the name of the game for the Avalanche on their three game road trip and this game was certainly no different. Colorado’s road futility continued early on as they failed to score on a 5-on-3 advantage early in the first period, paving the way for the teams to head to the first intermission at a scoreless tie.
The Avalanche would get on the board first in this one as Brandon Gormley hit Nathan MacKinnon in the rarely seen Avalanche breakout. MacKinnon would put the puck towards the net and a wide open Alex Tanguay would take advantage of a fortuitous bounce to give Colorado the 1-0 lead.
The Hurricanes would tie the game just under six minutes later as Kris Versteeg drove the Avalanche net and threw a puck in front of the net where Victor Rask, the scorer of the overtime goal that beat Colorado in the teams previous meeting, would yet again victimize the Avalanche with an easy tap-in to draw the score even at one apiece.
A John Mitchell tripping penalty would give the Hurricanes the power play opportunity they needed in order to score the go-ahead goal as Justin Faulk notched his league-leading fourth power play goal of the season at 14:54 of the period, bringing the game to its second intermission score of 2-1.
A paltry third period effort for the Avalanche is becoming an all-too familiar sight and tonight was certainly no different as the Hurricanes came out and Jeff Skinner scored to make it 3-1 for Carolina at 5:07 for what would turn out to be the game-winning goal.
Carl Soderberg scored his first Avalanche goal with just over 30 seconds remaining to breathe a little life into an otherwise uninspiring comeback effort but even a late flurry wasn’t able to overcome their earlier struggles and the game closed at a 3-2 final in favor of Carolina.
THREE STARS
- Kris Versteeg – 2 assists
- Cam Ward – 30 saves
- Victor Rask – 1 goal
PLAY OF THE GAME
Skinner’s third period snipe past Varlamov proved to be the insurance goal Carolina needed and sealed the victory.
TURNING POINT
Justin Faulk’s power play goal took the energy out of the Avalanche and changed the complexity of the game as Carolina surged and Colorado wilted following the go-ahead go.
BY THE NUMBERS
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“We’re a bit fragile. When we go down it takes us a bit of time to get back on our skates. Our confidence level is not as high as it should be” – Head Coach Patrick Roy
LASTING IMPACT
Colorado finishes their three-game road trip 1-2-0, maintaining their last place position in the Central Division as they not sit five points behind sixth place Chicago.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Avalanche return home after a three game road swing to take on the San Jose Sharks in their first afternoon game of the season on Sunday, November 1.
