Heart and Hustle: MacKinnon and Makar Lead Avs to Game 6

The Colorado Avalanche got to work and live to fight another day. Backs against the wall, their season was on the line in Game 5 after going down 3-1 in the series. With a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars, the Avs forced Game 6 and have a chance to keep hope alive in front of the home crowd back in Ball Arena.

“It’s been pretty clear to us on why we’re winning and when we’re not,” said Jared Bednar.

It has never felt like a lack of understanding or preparedness from Colorado, it’s been a matter of execution and the Avs played to their strengths and found success against a defensively sound Dallas team.

“We knew we were going to get their best game of the series and we did,” Pete DeBoer said postgame. “Their big guys were all on the scoresheet tonight, which you probably anticipated would happen.”

Inner Ice

“On the offensive side of it, it’s a challenge, but I do think that the guys are pretty clear on the plan,” said Bednar. “I think the plan works as we’ve seen when we’re able to execute, and it’s about consistency and trying to do that for a full 60 and then being able to capitalize on the opportunities you get.”

One of the challenges that troubled the Avs offensively was Dallas’ lane management. They’re so stingy and made it hard to get pucks through and get bodies inside home plate.

This helped to keep Jake Oettinger’s line of vision clear.

In Game 5, the Avs used their speed in the offensive zone to make plays. Sometimes their decision making has been rushed and they turned the puck over or their pass/shot was blocked and the play died before it stood a chance.

They better protected the puck, kept their eyes up, and made plays.

Along with it, moving their feet and using their speed allowed them to open up Dallas’ structure just enough to get guys to drive inside ice.

Take Cale Makar’s powerplay goal for example: Chris Tanev cross-checked Mikko Rantanen in the face after a series of chances pressured Oettinger in their end.

On the man-advantage, Makar’s initial shot attempt was stopped, but the Avs recovered the puck and set Makar back up. Makar wristed the puck to the back of the net from distance. Lehkonen was well-placed in the slot ahead of Dallas’ Thomas Harley who cut off Oettinger’s vision trying to follow Lehkonen.

You could more visibly see the concerted conga line to the net, stacking bodies down the middle to impair Oettinger.

The powerplay got two goals in Game 5 after being contained for the last three games. 

On Artturi Lehkonen’s tying goal in the final second of the first period, Nathan MacKinnon found a seam through Tanev and Sam Steel to get the puck to Lehkonen in the high-slot. Lehkonen one-timed it over Oettinger’s glove.

What made the powerplay better?

“Just possession. We got some cleaner entries. I had to do a better job of creating cleaner entries for the boys,” MacKinnon explained. “Had a couple good ones. Obviously we got Cale [Makar] up top with some time. Great screens. That’s what makes us successful.”

His note about getting the puck to Makar with some time is an important element too. Because they moved their feet more, they gave themselves more time.

On MacKinnon’s goal, Lehkonen used his speed to gain entry and aptly protected the puck from Lindell to give MacKinnon time to rescue it from the top of the circle. MacKinnon moved to the middle and wristed the puck far-side. 

The combination of speed, driving play to inner ice, and puck protection rewarded Colorado.

Goals on the powerplay and goals from MacKinnon, Makar, and Mittelstadt also meant that the top guys were buzzing. Lehkonen had a two point night. It starts with them and runs through the rest of the team.

“Your top guys have to be your top guys, but then in the same breath you don’t want to just rely on your top guys all the time,” said Bednar. “They’re put out in situations to help you produce offense, and they’re hard on themselves when they don’t. I like that because they’re holding themselves to a high standard, it’s still a group of five working for one another that helps create offensive opportunities for those guys and for other guys.

It’s not a one-man job or two-man job to create offense. We were more connected tonight as a group of five working at the same time instead of one or two guys working and a couple of guys watching. They come up and play their best game of the series, and they get rewarded on skill plays that start with hard work from the group. Their skills allowed them to shine, and they were fantastic.”

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Dallas will continue to block a lot of shots, that’s a given. 

What Zach Parise did for Casey Mittelstadt’s goal is exactly the opportunistic hockey the Avs needed to play. It’s predicated on some luck, but Colorado made sure they were prepared to receive their blessings.

Parise dropped the puck back to Sam Girard and Girard sent it toward the net, but the shot was blocked. The puck bounced off Joe Pavelski’s body and Parise raised his stick to angle the errant puck across the blue paint to Casey Mittelstadt opposite him. Mittelstadt moved the puck under Esa Lindell’s stick, backdoor.

Blue Line to Blue Line

Devon Toews mentioned their play at the blue line as the site of some problems. “When we get in trouble, we’re trying to get too cute at the line a little bit, not being strong, getting the puck in deep,” he explained. 

“When you have to defend or when they’re able to just turn it back on us, we have to go defend and then by the time we get in the zone, now everybody has to go change and then they’re able to get a free breakout out of it. So we’ve done a better job of breaking pucks out and then putting them deep and getting on the forecheck and making it a little more difficult on them.”

Toews’ explanation outlines how they can better establish the zone. A good forecheck is a necessity this time of year and another way to force Dallas to open up their structure.

In addition to the offensive blue line, it’s important to make their own a difficult threshold to cross.

Miro Heiskanen’s powerplay goal sprung to mind. Pavelski sent the breakout pass to Jason Robertson waiting near Colorado’s blue line. Robertson burst in with a drive to the net and slipped the puck across the slot at the last second for Miro Heiskanen to bang in. Robertson beat Girard and Lehkonen on entry using his speed.

Pavelski’s goal was born from a faceoff loss just outside their blue line as well. Dallas dumped the puck in after the draw. Josh Manson went to collect it but Jason Robertson forced it off his stick over to Matt Duchene at the side of the net. Duchene quickly angled the puck to Pavelski at the crease and Pavelski backhanded it in. Casey Mittelstadt got a little lost in front of the net and Sam Girard was a touch too slow getting back to the net because the play unfolded so quickly.

Just like Colorado’s speed opened up the game for Colorado, it’s a weapon for Dallas too. Standing guys up at the blue line and on-time arrivals is an important part of their coverage to win the game between the blue lines.

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The Avs face elimination the rest of the way. It won’t be easy, but they showed a lot of heart. Game 5 was an impassioned response to a deflating Game 4.

What I liked most about Game 5 was the repeatability of it all. They didn’t blow the doors off Dallas. It was an in-sync, consistent effort for a full 60 minutes and it’s exactly what they’ll have to do to keep the series alive.