Avs won't be victims of circumstance, but their path out of Round 1 rests on goaltending

It was the second-ever playoff game in NHL history where two teams combined for six or more goals in multiple periods. The Jets and the Avs combined for six goals in periods one and three in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Colorado Avalanche overwhelmed the Jets with a smothering start, controlling the puck and laying into them shot after shot.

Winnipeg stayed with them. In the face of Colorado’s intensity, it didn’t take long for the Jets to enter the game with a strong response of their own.

This is where things got frustrating for the Avs. They had a dominant start to the game and walked out of the period tied 3-3.

“Good players are going to make good plays,” Winnipeg’s Gabe Vilardi said postgame.

“Our team’s got to follow it up. We’ve got the best goalie in the world and they’ve got the best player in the world, in my opinion. We’ve got to try and slow them down, but when you get into a track meet like that, it’s a tough game to play but it’s a lot of fun.” 

That’s not to demerit a good Winnipeg team who fought hard for their win, but a combination of lost puck battles and turnovers hurt the Avs most and teased their ultimate downfall: goaltending.

The Good

Goal Support

The Avs received goal scoring from six different players. When it was announced that Jonathan Drouin would miss the first round with a lower-body injury, Colorado’s goal-scoring ambitions seemed crushed by a weaker top-six and untested depth.

When Val Nichushkin returned from the Player Assistance program in March, the results were mixed. Some early scoring was met with a six-game scoring drought that left us feeling like Nichushkin still needed to shake off some rust.

A two-point night in their final game of the season against Edmonton helped to warm him up for the most meaningful hockey of the year.

Colorado led the opening ten minutes with a strong possession game. They got their chances and eventually their second line caught the Jets on a line change. Josh Manson transitioned the puck at the defensive blueline and sent a stretch pass to Nichushkin waiting to rush into the Jets’ zone. In all alone, he skated to the bottom of the right-circle and wristed the puck far-side to open the scoring.

Colorado’s ragtag third line annoyed the Jets all night. Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Joel Kiviranta got under their skin and baited Winnipeg between several plays.

In the first period, a failed breakout pass was stopped by Colton in the neutral zone. He had to battle for it, but he escaped with the puck and nudged it back into the Jets’ end.

Dylan Samberg gained possession and skated the puck behind the net where Colton used his stick to block his pass and steal possession. Kiviranta took it to the net and Wood buried it blocker-side.

A Nathan MacKinnon snipe kept the Avs in it after one period of play and their push didn’t stop.

Two powerplay goals in the third period from Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar brought them closer, and one final keep from Mikko Rantanen and a net-front play from Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt brought them within one goal down to the final minute.

The Avs’ skaters never quit despite chasing several three-goal deficits.

When you consider the make-shift third line that includes a player that didn’t have an NHL contract to start the season and a top line with 39-year old Zach Parise, it gives you a new appreciation for the fight that they showed as a group.

Extra Credit

Mikko Rantanen recorded his 59th career playoff assist and passed Peter Stastny for third place on the Avs/Nordiques all-time list.

Cale Makar earned his 68th career playoff point to break a tie with Sandis Ozolinsh (65) for the most in franchise history by a defenseman. Makar also moved into seventh place on the franchise’s all-time playoff points list, regardless of position, passing teammate Gabriel Landeskog (67) along the way.

Makar also became the third-fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 50 playoff assists behind Bobby Orr (59 GP) and Al MacInnis (61 GP).

With a three-point night, Makar became just the 10th defenseman in NHL history to post at least eight career three-point games in the playoffs.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his 10th career goal in Game 1 of a playoff series and joined Joe Sakic (20) and Peter Forsberg (14) as the third player in franchise history to reach double digits.

The top guys brought it and the depth stepped up.

The Avs averaged 20 hits per game in the regular season and recorded 43 through two periods of play. Both teams played a heavy, physical game and things were chippy at times. Colorado finished with 55 registered hits.

The Bad

Puck Management

A lost battle along the boards allowed Josh Morrissey to get the Jets on the board.

Then a poor decision from Josh Manson created a Grade-A chance. The Jets dumped the puck into Colorado’s end and Alexandar Georgiev played it to the corner for Manson to collect. 

Manson redirected it away from his challenger (Alex Iafallo), but he sent it in between the hash marks and Vlad Namestnikov dove to slam it to the back of the net. It was a costly, completely avoidable, turnover.

On Mark Scheifele’s goal to tie it in the first period, Casey Mittelstadt coughed up the puck behind the net.

The Jets moved high-to-low and Colorado struggled to contain them. Mittelstadt nearly had a chance to clear it behind the net, but his attempt went to Vilardi instead. Vilardi sent the cross-crease pass to Scheifele and Scheifele lifted the puck in. Manson could have taken one extra step to make things more difficult for Scheifele at the net-front. Devon Toews had just rotated out of the net-front coverage and Manson moved in and didn’t quite detect the high-threat.

The lone goal in the second period was caused by a broken play after the draw that led to a quick odd-man rush against. Adam Lowry skated in on a two-on-one and beat Georgiev. Colorado’s rush coverage has struggled as of late and this reinforced that to a point, but more concerning was the absence of a save.

The Ugly

Goaltending

Through two periods, Winnipeg’s expected goals combined for 1.33 in all situations. They walked out of the second period up 4-3 to put that into perspective.  Morrissey’s shot from distance in the absence of a screen and Lowry’s goal that goes five-hole are two Georgiev would probably like to have back.

He finished with a 0.696 save percentage and allowed seven goals on 23 shots. That’s a goal for every three shots or so.

Three goals came on medium-to-low danger chances and the Avs held Winnipeg to almost half the high-danger chances that they created the other way (16-9).

Seven of Winnipeg’s Grade-A chances did come at five-on-five, so Colorado’s team defense doesn’t escape criticism entirely, but for the Avs to put six past Connor Hellebuyck is a feat that shouldn’t be understated.

When asked about his play postgame, even Georgiev acknowledged his shortcomings, “It was not enough today, unfortunately.”

Justus Annunen was under the weather and Arvid Holm backed up for Game 1. Holm would not have been a viable relief option, so the Avs were married to Georgiev for this one.

Should Annunen start to feel better, the starter’s net is a legitimate gamble the rest of the way.

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It was a tough loss to witness in person, but I will say this: Colorado impressed. I was unsure going into Game 1. The Avs are missing Sam Girard in addition to Drouin, and it felt gloomy – a bit like the Seattle series.

The Avs didn’t allow themselves to be victims of circumstance. They fought extremely hard. It wasn’t perfect, but they looked like a team reborn. Their intensity was hard for Winnipeg to match at times.