Kuemper shuts out Coyotes in return to Arizona

In my opinion, what made the game-changing Too Many Men call earlier this week in Nashville extra disappointing was that the Colorado Avalanche went into that game with a chance to claim the top spot in the Central Division had they won.

They let that opportunity slip away but had another chance this weekend to climb to the top of their division, and conference, with a pair of back-to-back games against the Western Conference’s worst team in the Arizona Coyotes.

The two-game series kicked off in Denver on Friday with the Avs winning one that was probably a little too close for comfort, as the Coyotes forced the game to a shootout before Nazem Kadri would be the eventual hero and lone shootout goal-scorer to give his team a much-needed win from a morality standpoint.

Losing the way they did to the Nashville Predators, followed by a loss to a team that they are much better than on paper would’ve been a real gut punch.

Thankfully for the Avs, that didn’t happen and they got to come to the desert with some of the pressure being off, and another chance to take the lead in the Central Division.

I thought they were going to come out absolutely flying and just bury a Coyotes team that is probably playing their best hockey of the season. For the first thirty or so minutes of the game… uh… that didn’t happen.

The Avalanche struggled to connect on passes early on, as they looked out of sync and were honestly just being outworked by Arizona. 

Just past the halfway mark of the opening frame, the Avs got a chance to get going thanks to a 5-on-3 power play.

Nathan MacKinnon used the extra ice to skate out of the corner and make a strong play to the net, after not finding any support options he liked, and literally just forced one by Yotes’ net minder Karel Vejmelka.

That would hold up as the lone tally in the first as neither team was really able to separate themselves in any meaningful way. 

The second period looked like it was destined to be more of the same as Arizona continued to press, and Colorado just wasn’t making the plays we’ve come to expect. 

As I’ve said recently though, what’s fun about this team is that all they need is one shift,  moment, and the flood gates open right up.

The top unit of Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen jumped over the boards and looked like they were done letting the Coyotes think they still had a chance to win the game. In the blink of an eye, they transitioned up ice, every player touched the puck before Rantanen finally punched home a rebound that was just sitting there for the taking.

What happened next is exactly what has made the Avalanche so good, and so dangerous this season. It was only 2-0, and the Coyotes had played a strong game, but when this Avs team smells blood they become near impossible to stop.

Should-be All-Star Nazem Kadri scored just short of 90 seconds after Rantanen made it a two-goal lead with a beautiful move right in front of the net after Andre Burakovsky made a really nice read on the forecheck to cause a turnover.

Not long after that, Mikko Rantanen sprung loose on an odd-man rush and did it all himself beating Vejmelka through the five-hole to make it a four-goal advantage.

That was more or less the game. The Avs absolutely locked it down from there on out. Nathan MacKinnon would add one more for good measure in the final minute of the game to make it a 5-0 final, and usually the goalie who is on the winning side of a game like this isn’t much of a storyline, but tonight was an awesome night for Avs’ goaltender Darcy Kuemper. 

Kuemper was playing in his first game back in Arizona since being acquired by the Colorado Avalanche last summer, and he’s had somewhat of an up and down season individually. There was a nice video tribute to him during the first TV timeout of the game, and he said himself that being back here was more emotional than he expected.

You hear a lot that sometimes players need to turn the page on their career before they can truly get to work with their new club. Was tonight, a night where he earned his first shutout as a member of the Colorado Avalanche against the first team that made him a true #1 goaltender, the night that Darcy Kuemper officially turned the page and turned the page from being a former-Yote to being an Av ready to make a Stanley Cup run? Only time will tell, but he has to be feeling great after this one.

Head Coach Jared Bednar said he was thrilled with how his team stuck to their process, got out to a lead, and never looked back. The Avalanche now sit at the top on the Central Division and are playing some of the best hockey we’ve seen them play in years.

With the halfway point of the season just around the corner, it’s no longer about good feelings, you need to be winning games, and the Avs have done a ton of that recently. They’ll have their hands full on Monday as they welcome division rival Minnesota Wild to town for a matinee matchup that will be another great measuring stick for this club as they look to pile up points and now start trying to put distance between themselves, and the teams behind them in the standings.