Avs-Red Wings Game 58 Studs & Duds

Studs

Bowen Byram

This was another strong entry in Byram’s recent run of form. I’ve been so impressed by the turnaround in his game in recent weeks and despite a lack of production in the box score, I loved how he played.

Byram was activating on offense early and while that tapered off a bit as the game wore on (and the Red Wings found their own game), he was still a force on that end of the ice. Byram also had arguably Colorado’s best scoring chance in overtime when he got hold of the puck and beat everyone down the ice for a clean breakaway.

He was unable to finish but it was an easy example of the aggressive mindset he’s played on offense and I hope this version of Byram sticks around for a lot longer. He’s a thrill when playing this well.

Josh Manson

Manson’s game is always interesting to dissect. The numbers oscillate between good and bad but the state of his play is always a mystery if you aren’t really paying attention to him.

It’s never perfect but he’s at his best when he’s physically engaging and getting the puck going a bit on offense, too. He had a shocking rush of the puck through the neutral zone that turned into a brief breakaway as he danced through the defense but was unable to finish.

That was a lot of fun but it was the work in his own end that I appreciated most. More than any other player on Colorado’s blue line, Manson’s quality of play is a result of his dedication to the details. Watch him when he goes into corner battles and you’ll see a guy who always knows how to gain a positional advantage with his body and stick.

Understanding the nuances of defense is a major component of his value to the Avalanche and tonight I felt he did a great job of getting on top of pucks and moving them up the ice.

Justus Annunen

What is there to say about a guy who made 28 saves on 30 shots on goal and saved a point in the standings when he stonewalled J.T. Compher with six seconds left in regulation?

Annunen showcased why people have been excited about him for a number of years as we saw his combination of size and athleticism throughout the night. His puck tracking was excellent and it felt like he was in total control of the game all night. Both goals that got by him were great plays by the Red Wings skaters and the game-winning goal was a disappointing breakdown by Nathan MacKinnon.

He moved well, swallowed pucks and didn’t kick out a lot of rebounds while playing with confidence. It’s exactly what the Avalanche needed from him and he is the primary reason they even got the one point tonight. I had him as Colorado’s clear-cut MVP of the night.

Duds

Discipline

Stop! Taking! Penalties! Late! In! Games!

The Avs took a penalty with under 10 minutes to play in the third period of a game they led 1-0. Dylan Larkin tied the game. The Avs failed to score on a power play of their own and then put the Red Wings on another power play at the end of regulation and start of overtime.

That’s the kind of self-defeating hockey we have not seen a lot of from Colorado in recent years but has cropped up far too frequently this season. It’s the kind of problem that could easily cost them a playoff series if they mess around too much.

Mikko Rantanen

One shot on goal in 25 minutes of ice time, 4:21 of which came on the power play? Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen combined for one shot one goal, too, but they don’t carry the same burden of expectation that Rantanen does.

I’ve written and talked on the podcast about the passive play from Rantanen and we saw it again tonight. It’s frustrating to watch such a supremely skilled player stumble this openly and Colorado’s offense is suffering because of it.

He’s still producing points because he is a wonderful passer and we saw that when he found Nathan MacKinnon through traffic on Colorado’s only goal of the game, but it is unacceptable that he as removed himself as a legitimate shooting threat on the power play and lacks any real aggression with the puck.

It was disappointingly predictable when Rantanen failed to make the cross-ice pass to Ross Colton on a 2v1 in overtime.

Jonathan Drouin

Stop! Taking! Penalties! In! The! Offensive! Zone!

Unsung Hero

Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon is in this section because he was a dominant offensive engine once again with 11 shots on goal, 16 shot attempts, nine scoring chances, and five high-danger chances. For a lot of players, that’s an incredible week. For MacKinnon, it was literally a Wednesday.

He scored Colorado’s only goal and it felt like he was thisclose to having a couple more.

The only reason I have him down here is because of his awful defensive coverage in overtime. He chased the puck despite Devon Toews clearly already marking Dylan Larkin and when MacKinnon vacated the middle of the ice (a problem for a CENTER), Larkin made an awesome feed to Patrick Kane and that was the end of Colorado’s 10-game winning streak against the Red Wings.

We are years into MacKinnon’s 3v3 struggles so I’m not going to harp on it anymore but that is a clear-cut entry into tomorrow’s video session when they break down how they threw this game away.

A pockmark on an otherwise exceptional night of process over production.