How the West was won; Avs claim 7-4 win over Carolina

The Colorado Avalanche entered tonight’s contest on an eight-game winning streak after falling to the Minnesota Wild in that tough-to-swallow overtime loss in March. Though Carolina has been a streakier 4-5-1 over the last 10 games, the match-up was billed to be a case of Goliath vs. Goliath.

With the Avalanche at first in the league coupled alongside a division title on the line, and Carolina not far behind at third overall (and first in their division while trying to fend off the hard-charging New York Rangers), this game was every bit a playoff-style game. 

The first penalty of the game came early at 3:25 with a cross-checking call on Josh Manson. Ten seconds from its expiry, Jack Johnson drew a hooking penalty giving the Avs a man advantage against a Canes team with an excellent, first-in-the-league penalty kill. The second unit got it done with a combination of Andre Burakovsky’s quick zone entry and a crisp pass from Alex Newhook on the perimeter to J.T. Compher in the low slot to make it 1-0.

The Canes’ puck possession had a slight edge in the first half of the period, but quality chances in the offensive zone favored the Avalanche. At 10:48, Val Nichushkin danced around the crease, leaving the puck for Nathan MacKinnon just outside; he banged it home and the Avs took a 2-0 lead on MacKinnon’s 30th goal of the season.

Similar to the first powerplay opportunity for Carolina, Sebastian Aho took a slashing penalty in the middle of their powerplay giving the Avs a bit of reprieve. The first period revealed a worthy contender in Carolina whose greatest obstacle appeared to be themselves. Just as the period came to a close, Andrei Svechnikov tipped the puck out of play and the Avs would start the second period on the powerplay.

It felt like deja-vu when the second powerplay unit got it done again. This time, Burakovsky’s pass from just inside the dot to J.T. Compher (again) on the backdoor at the start of the second made it 3-0.

Recently departed University of Minnesota captain, Ben Meyers, made his NHL debut on the hard working, college hockey line alongside former NCAA players, Logan O’Connor and Andrew Cogliano. You can watch his rookie lap here. His storybook debut was made complete with his first career goal at 2:21 just after Compher’s second powerplay goal of the game. Meyers has been touted as NHL ready, and seeing him park himself at the net-front is the kind of comfortability you like to see.

I wouldn’t expect a team like Carolina to sit back at this moment, and sit back they did not. About a minute later, the Canes responded with a goal from Jordan Staal, who deflected a Brady Skjei shot that also hit an Avalanche stick along its journey. Their doggedness in the o-zone would begin to pay off. Staal would score another at 8:44, this time an intentional deflection that made it 4-2. I did not think J.T. Compher and Jordan Staal would be on hatty watch at this point, but that’s the beauty of hockey.

Nico Sturm may have been the intended recipient of Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s centering feed, but the split second chance found Newhook in the slot – his first attempt was interrupted but he tapped it in at 11:17. It was an important goal to respond to Staal’s back-to-back goals and keep the pressure low…for a spell.

The tide began to turn and there was a growing sense that this period just needed to end after Sebastian Aho’s goal at 13:33 made it interesting once again. Darcy Kuemper extended his arm out to make a sprawling save on a falling Jordan Martinook, but his valiant effort was curtailed when Aho snagged the rebound. What was once a 4-0 game was now 5-3. Almost poetically, shots were split evenly at 22 a piece at the conclusion of the second.

At 4:08 to start the third period, Nathan MacKinnon and Nichuskin chased the puck along the boards – the combined pressure applied by both gave Nichuskin the edge to retrieve it and send it to Mikko Rantanen who came gliding across the front of the crease and beat Freddie Andersen with a slick move to his backhand to restore Colorado’s three-goal lead.

The Avs were in a comfortable position, but the Canes were nipping at their heels. Nico Sturm tripped a player called Jesper Fast (I guess he wasn’t fast enough), and Andrei Svechnikov, scored his 30th goal of the season on the subsequent powerplay at 6:28.

Just after the midway point in the third, Nathan MacKinnon drove up the ice and launched the puck into the back of the net with an impressive spin-around move. It was now a 7-4 game.

There was a little more back and forth, but the Avalanche saw this one through in an entertaining fashion. Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves in the 7-4 final, Ben Meyers got his first NHL win, and the Avs clinched the Central Division title and top playoff seed in the Western Conference. It’s a game likely to haunt Carolina down the stretch.

TAKEAWAYS

• Ben Meyers, who finished his recent college season with a 57% FOW, was given ample opportunity at the faceoff dot, no doubt a decision enabled by Bednar.  He took the second-most faceoffs of any centerman (just one shy of Nathan MacKinnon) and had the best faceoff percentage at 63%. When asked about the differences in taking faceoffs at the NHL level vs. NCAA, Meyers chalked it up to NHL-caliber players simply being better at it. Mikko Rantanen said Meyers looked very comfortable in his first NHL game – as if he’d played in a few already.
• It’s one of those nights where it’s hard to keep track of individual accomplishments: Mikko Rantanen elevates his career high in goals and points that much more (36 goals on the season, 5 points in his last 3 games), Nichushkin, Burakovsky, Toews, and Newhook all with two-point nights, Logan O’Connor points in back to back games. It’s all the makings of a team just itching for the playoffs. With Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog returning to practice, the excitement continues to build. I don’t know if there’s a fan base out there equipped to appreciate on-ice product this good, but it starts with appreciating all of the small things. Bowen Byram is playing. Josh Manson is leaving drop passes in the offensive zone. The greatest dilemma facing the Avs d-corps appears to be rotating the Johnsons. The second powerplay unit has activated their ability to finish and now the Avs PP has risen to third in the league.