Avs take a heaping bite out of the Big Apple

History tells us that the last game of a long road trip is typically the toughest to win. Add in the fact the Colorado Avalanche was going up against the white-hot New York Rangers, winner of seven straight coming into tonight, and it was a tall order.

Despite that, head coach Jared Bednar said he felt good about how his team was going to play after getting the day off yesterday so his guys could channel some of the natural energy that lives within the City That Never Sleeps and recharge their batteries.

Well, it worked.

After a bit of a back-and-fourth first period that saw Rangers defenseman Nils Lundqvist score his first NHL goal on a beautiful shot that, at the time, gave his team a 2-1 lead that they took to the dressing room, the Avs put on a systematic clinic and absolutely exploded for five goals in the second period.

Simply put, the Avalanche decided they were done playing mediocre hockey and took it to the Blueshirts and ultimately won 7-3.

Mikko Rantanen, skating on a blended line with Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin, got his team off to a good start burying a goal just 4:11 in. After that, the Rangers pushed back a bit, scoring a pair of back-to-back goals. Avs goaltender Darcy Kuemper, playing in his first game of the road trip, looked like he was still shaking off some rust on New York’s first goal. He probably wants that one back. 

He settled in really nicely after that, making a number of key stops including a stellar post-to-post stop on a shorthanded 2-on-0.

He kept the game close and allowed the Avs to break loose and score five unanswered. Perhaps the most important goal for the Avs came off the stick of superstar forward Nathan MacKinnon. MacK was injured for the better part of November, and had been winding his game up over the course of the team’s five-game trip, but had yet to break through with a goal. 

His second (can you believe that?) goal of the season came at the perfect time, not only tying the game up, but it also acted as the springboard his team needed to start to put this game, and the road trip, in the rearview mirror. 

It wasn’t all roses for MacKinnon in that second frame though, as he caught a hit that looked to be just a touch on the high side from Jacob Trouba, and was ultimately forced temporarily to the locker room by NHL concussion spotters. Thankfully, he returned at the start of the third.

While without their star center though, the Avs were looking for someone else to step up and drive the play. It wasn’t Mikko Rantanen, or even Cale Makar. No, it was Logan O’Connor.

O’Connor scored two goals in just 22 seconds. Both were highlight-reel-worthy.

You love to see it for LOC. The kid works his tail off and generates so many chances for teammates, so to see him just absolutely dance a defender, then throw one over the goalie’s shoulder was an awesome moment for him.

Mikko Rantanen was impressed.

“Sick,” Rantanen said of O’Connor’s goal. “When I saw the replay, my mouth was wide open. That was my reaction”.

In the third period, the Avs gave New York next to nothing. Even when the Rangers did mange to get one on a rush, Colorado responded right away win a goal of their own to stifle any hope that the Rangers had of making this a game.

The five-game trip is done, and the Avs finished 3-1-1, and after the way it started in Toronto, the team has to be really happy with that.

TAKEAWAYS

• This morning Jared Bednar said he was keeping his lines “close to the vest”, and the shake up seemed to really spark the group. Logan O’Connor skated with MacKinnon and Landeskog, while Mikko played on Kadri’s wing, opposite of Nichushkin. We’ll see if any of that sticks.

• Yet another equipment malfunction forced Kuemper out of the game for only about one whistle, this time his skate steel stays in place, but he said postgame that the tie that attaches his leg pad to his skate got cut somehow. It was a quick fix and shouldn’t be a problem going forward.

• It wasn’t all good news for Colorado tonight, Nazem Kadri left the ice after the second period and did not return to finish the game. The team said it was a lower body injury, and head coach Jared Bednar said he wasn’t sure if it was related to what held him out of a game earlier on the trip.

• The Avs’ team defense really seemed to be a cut above what we’ve seen recently tonight. They weren’t having to outscore poor play in their own end. Bednar said that it wasn’t perfect, but was significantly better. That also helped Kuemper settle into the game at his own pace. After the first period, the Avs goaltender was rock solid, he gave big credit to the team in front of him for helping him get back up to speed.
• Here’s a fun stat line: Kurtis MacDermid only played 3:07 tonight, but recorded an assist, three hits, was a +2, and racked up 12 penalty minutes.