Observations from Colorado's 5-2 loss to Anaheim

LAS VEGAS – The Colorado Avalanche lost their second game of the weekend in a feisty 5-2 contest against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday evening. It was nowhere near the penalty-ridden see-saw affair of Saturday night when Colorado fell 7-6 to Vegas but this one had quite a bit of fireworks of a different kind.

Avalanche defenseman Josh Anderson was consistently in the face of several Ducks players and his physical and punishing style of defense resulted in several scrums throughout the game. The intensity level was ramped up several notches compared to the game against Vegas but Colorado’s inability to handle the puck in their own end ultimately ended up undoing the good work they accomplished offensively.

Sloppy turnovers from the Avalanche defense plagued the squad throughout and goaltender Justus Annunen was left out to dry on Anaheim’s first four goals.

Below are observations from the game!

No justice for Justus

After watching Petr Kvaca give up six goals in just a period and a half last night, the Avalanche staff decided to see what Annunen could do with a full game. He made several difficult stops look routine but his stat line shows four goals against, all of which were odd-man rushes or players completely by themselves.

It’s a deceiving scoreline for Annunen because he really played a solid overall game but the cruelty of sports will show a night to forget.

Joshing for more

While Anderson was frequently engaging in trash talk and exchanging unpleasantries after most whistles, teammate Josh Dickinson was having another strong game. He picked up an assist against Vegas playing in a center role but switched to wing tonight, he continued his impressive weekend despite going scoreless tonight.

Dickinson was active defensively and his work in that end frequently sparked transition offense for the Avalanche. He and linemates Igor Shvyrev and Nick Henry combined for Colorado’s most consistently dangerous forward line. Dickinson entered this showcase as a relative unknown thanks to his path towards the organization but his strong play through two games has turned him into a player to watch the rest of this preseason.

Bombs away

The tone for the game was set early and reinforced often by Anderson and R.T. Rice as those two Avalanche players were consistently throwing huge hits. The intensity picked up as the teams decided just how much they disliked one another and it turned into a game of trading big hits.

Given this game is ultimately meaningless in the long run, it’s a good thing everyone came out of this one healthy and ready for Tuesday’s finale. The hard-hitting contest appealed to Avalanche brass as Craig Billington told BSN Denver after the game it provided a more realistic in-game evaluation opportunity. Given the genuine disdain the NHL teams have for one another, it was nice to see that hatred trickle down to the prospects.

Sour Kaut

2018 first-round selection Martin Kaut continued his lackluster overall performance. He failed to generate any kind of significant impact for the second straight night. More than anything, his play has really driven home that Colorado has the luxury of patience with Kaut.

Like with Mikko Rantanen in 2015, there’s a temptation to drop Kaut in the NHL right away but we saw a full season in the AHL work wonders for Rantanen. While Kaut’s ceiling is nowhere near that of Rantanen, at least a season playing for the Colorado Eagles appears to be the right route to take with his development.

There’s still plenty of time for Kaut to turn it around but right now he looks more like an intriguing package of clay than a finished sculpture.

Another unlikely surprise

With no fanfare or buzz whatsoever, Matthew Boucher came to Colorado’s rookie camp in hopes of making a good impression on Colorado’s front office. So far, so good. He sniped home a beauty of a goal last night against Vegas and followed that with another goal tonight against Anaheim.

He and linemate Cole Reinhardt combined for a beautiful second goal as Reinhardt made a perfect cross-ice pass to Boucher, who tapped it home. The 5’9″ forward from Quebec still has no contract but he’s certainly making a case to be given at least an AHL deal. If nothing else, he certainly looks like he could stick as a decent ECHL player for the Utah Grizzlies.

Immediate returns

The selection of Brandon Saigeon in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft was one I’ve expressed a great deal of skepticism towards but after his third goal in two games, it’s obvious he’s at the very least earned an entry-level contract.

I’m not sure his feet will ever be quick enough to get him to the NHL but he’s absolutely earned the opportunity to give it a try. What to do with Saigeon has been one of the interesting storylines of this weekend. He’s unlikely to spend an overage season at Hamilton of the OHL but the Avalanche already sit at 47 contracts and the AHL roster is bursting at the seams with players.

Where exactly he’s going to fit is a question that will have to be answered but his play has been good enough that he’s created the problem for them. This is one of those “good problems” to have.