Postgame: Avalanche Stunned in Game 2, Blow Third-Period Lead to Vegas Golden Knights
· Yahoo Sports
The Colorado Avalanche are heading on the road trailing 2-0 in the Western Conference Final.
After falling in Game 1, the Avalanche led for more than half of Game 2 on Friday before eventually losing again to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena. This time the final score was 3-1.
Visit rouesnews.click for more information.
Colorado played well at times, especially in the second period. But when the game was in their hands, with around half a period remaining in regulation, Jared Bednar’s team babied the puck, was soft defending, and it led to two quick goals for the Knights that changed the trajectory of the game.
The Avalanche were 41-0-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the playoffs when leading after 40 minutes. That streak ended in Game 2.
“It’s a fine margin for error, the difference of winning and losing,” Bednar said. There are obviously things in the game, especially when you give up two in the third period, that you don’t like.”
Ross Colton had the Avs’ only tally, which came late in the first period. The Golden Knights’ goals came from Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev at 9:15 and 11:22, respectively, to flip the game on a dime. Barbashev added his second into an empty net to seal it with 1:03 remaining.
Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves in the losing effort. At the other end, Carter Hart had another strong performance, making 29 saves to help his team steal another game on the road.
Colton’s tally came in the first period after Brent Burns quickly put the puck towards the goal. It hit a defender in front before Colton corralled the rebound and beat Hart top shelf for his second of the postseason.
The Avs had many opportunities to add to their lead, especially when the two teams played 4-on-4, and several Avalanche shots with open looks completely missed the net. They couldn’t get that second goal. It was something both coaches spoke about postgame.
Wedgewood was spectacular in the first period for the Avs, stopping Mitch Marner on the breakaway and Pavel Dorofeyev wide open in the slot, among other big saves. It allowed the Avalanche to get the all-important first goal.
The Golden Knights controlled a lot of the play in the early going. Colorado had some good looks, but it was a lot of Vegas finishing checks, winning puck battles, and going to the net. Wedgewood held his ground when he needed to until Colorado finally struck first.
They carried that momentum into the second period, where it was a 9-4 shot advantage for the Avs, while also killing four minutes of penalties. It was only a one-goal lead, but Colorado played like the hungrier team in the second.
In the third, the Avs had a power play that carried over, which was unsuccessful. They also had another two minutes, but were unable to even get set up in the offensive zone. Once the Knights killed that penalty, it felt like the game started to shift. They found a way to not just tie the game, but get the second goal shortly after.
Bad: They Aren’t Generating Enough
The Avalanche aren’t generating enough offense. It’s as simple as that. No matter what the analytics say, what the score effects and game break downs look like, Colorado isn’t getting the right kind of high-danger opportunities at the same rate.
They’re not making it difficult for Hart to see the puck, they’re not putting bodies in front, and they’re not getting to rebounds. The greasy goals are what win you games this deep into the postseason, and they’re just not finding a way to generate them.
Good: Hat Tip to Nick Blankenburg
Nick Blankenburg didn’t have a great showing in his first stint this postseason, even with the big goal he had in Game 1 of the second round.
After sitting for a few, he was reinserted in the lineup ahead of Jack Ahcan. And to say the least, he looked far better than he did the first time, and gave more than Ahcan did on the third pair. Even in limited minutes, Blankenburg skated well and provided a little snippet of the lost puck-carrying play that was lost with Cale Makar’s absence.
In the end, if the Avalanche had to use Blankenburg in the playoffs, you would hope it would be because the defenseman that went down was literally anyone other than Makar.
The post Postgame: Avalanche Stunned in Game 2, Blow Third-Period Lead to Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.