Nieto hat trick highlights hard-fought Avalanche victory

Following three straight losses, the Colorado Avalanche were facing one of those games early in the season that helps develop a team’s identity. Last year’s squad approached losing streaks with complacency, allowing three-game skids to turn into five-plus game slides.

Determined not to do that, the Avalanche came into tonight’s contest against the visiting Dallas Stars and spit some fire at a team that has spent the last two weeks doing a little flexing across the league, winning an entertaining and hard-fought game, 5-3.

In their constant quest to prove they aren’t a remixed version of last year’s abomination, this Avalanche squad watched its top line led by Nathan MacKinnon get eaten alive by Tyler Seguin’s buzzsaw trio and instead of rolling out three additional lines of futility, the former fourth line-turned third line thanks to injuries stepped up and took the spotlight, led by the unlikeliest of hat tricks from forward Matt Nieto.

The Avalanche carried a 4-2 lead into the third period but watched the Stars begin double-shifting the Seguin line and turn up the heat way past 11 on their way to a 14-shot period, scoring once along the way. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov turned away what he needed to in order to secure the victory and keep the team from a late-game collapse, something that happened all-too-frequently last year.

“That’s huge for our group,” Nieto said. “We’re going to be tested. Every team in the league is going to have to push, especially in the third. For us to be able to handle that, they’re a very dangerous team. To be able to come out of that with a win was huge.”

Having seen his place in the lineup disappear after a disastrous three-penalty game on opening night at the New York Rangers, Nieto’s struggles to secure his place in the lineup were eradicated with three forward injuries in the last five days. He rewarded the opportunity given to him in the most unexpected way possible.

“Unfortunately, I came back in because of injuries but that’s the name of the game,” Nieto said. “I just tried to prepare myself to be ready for the next chance I get and I did that tonight.”

Entering the game, Nieto had scored just 35 goals in 267 career games and no more than 10 in a single season. His three-goal explosion alongside linemates Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau provided exactly the kind of depth scoring Colorado lacked last year when its big guns were having a quieter night.

“In this league, you’re only as good as your last game,” Nieto said almost sheepishly. “This was definitely a good start for me getting back in the lineup and being able to produce but now it’s just being consistent and bringing that effort.”

Nieto opened the scoring with a rebound off a hard-working effort from captain Gabriel Landeskog and while he didn’t get all of it, he got enough to beat Stars starting goaltender Ben Bishop and tie the game at 13:45 of the first period.

His second tally came early in the second when Comeau was in forechecking and forced Bishop, who was behind the net playing the puck, into a ghastly turnover that landed right on Soderberg’s stick. Bishop got back into the net in time to stop the initial offering but Nieto was there to bury the rebound, moving Colorado ahead, 2-1.

The capper on Nieto’s memorable night occurred when that line was sent out with just under 15 seconds remaining to play and Colorado needing to win a faceoff in its own zone and protecting a one-goal lead. They won the draw and worked the puck ahead to Nieto, who juked Stars defender John Klingberg before depositing his third of the night and bringing on the rain of hats.

After scoring his third, Nieto adhered to tradition and led the fist bump line with the bench but was met with a face full of water instead, a custom typically reserved for rookies scoring their first NHL goals but amended to accompany Nieto’s first hat trick instead.

“That was a pleasant surprise,” Nieto laughed. “It was awesome coming back through the line and seeing the guys happy for me. It was a good feeling.”

The moment was as unexpected as Colorado’s hot start at home this year as they currently sit 3-1 at the Pepsi Center, where they won just 13 of 41 contests last year.

“It’s definitely a hard thing to accomplish in this league,” Nieto admitted with the world’s widest grin. “I’ll definitely remember this night.”

If the Avalanche are going to continue being competitive and prove they aren’t last year’s losers, everyone else just may remember it, too.