ReportWire

Tag: more avalanche news

  • Keeler: Avalanche can’t stop scoring. Alexandar Georgiev can’t stop winning. Mea culpa, Georgie. You got right.

    Keeler: Avalanche can’t stop scoring. Alexandar Georgiev can’t stop winning. Mea culpa, Georgie. You got right.

    [ad_1]

    Lazarus of Bethany’s got nuttin’ on Alexandar Georgiev of Bulgaria. Tough times don’t last. Tough goalies do.

    “I think in Game 1, we didn’t give him a lot of chances to make quality saves,” Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson told me before Colorado and Georgie wiped out the Whiteoot in Winnipeg with a 6-3 victory late Tuesday. “I felt like a lot of (shots) were going in from the backside or (to) his right, which is tough.

    “And then that can rattle your confidence a little bit. But he’s stepped up and just playing like how he can.”

    He grounded the Jets for four straight games. He won twice in Manitoba. He rose to the moment. He blocked out the jeers. He stiffed the haters.

    Forgive me, Georgie.

    This is how Lord Stanley comes home.

    Down 3-1 in a best-of-seven series Tuesday, Winnipeg threw everything at the crease that wasn’t nailed down. The Jets blistered Georgiev with 19 shots in the second period alone. They came away with one goal to show for it.

    Game 1: Seven goals against. Games 2-5: Eight goals. Combined.

    Forgive me, Georgie.

    This is starting to look familiar.

    [ad_2]

    Sean Keeler

    Source link

  • Keeler: Avalanche, Jared Bednar have no choice: goalie Justus Annunen, if healthy, needs to start Game 2 vs. Jets

    Keeler: Avalanche, Jared Bednar have no choice: goalie Justus Annunen, if healthy, needs to start Game 2 vs. Jets

    [ad_1]

    Avalanche fans deserve Justus.

    Do whatever it takes, Jared Bednar. Nyquil. Mucinex. Voodoo. Anything that gets Avalanche backup goaltender Justus Annunen healthy and ready to start Game 2 of this Avs-Jets series. Anything that gets No. 1 netminder Alexandar Georgiev away from the crease and out of the firing line.

    Love Georgie.

    He’s toast.

    The Winnipeg Jets know it. John Buccigross knows it. The moose wandering around south Manitoba know it. Over his last six appearances, dating back to April 5, Georgiev’s given up 29 goals. Bednar, the Avs’ venerated coach, isn’t just running out of options here. He’s running out of time.

    Winnipeg put seven more past No. 40 in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series Sunday, roughly a week after peppering him for a touchdown and extra point at Ball Arena.

    This time, it took two periods for Georgiev to become Fourgiev. It took three for him to become Sevengiev.

    Yes, when the other guys put seven on your tab, it’s a group fail. The hope was that the Burgundy and Blue had a postseason gear they could shift to. That Bednar’s porous, sloppy defense over the last three weeks would flip a switch.

    Guess what? No gear. No switch. They are what they were. They need a guy between the pipes who can bail them out.

    Georgie ain’t it.

    With 5:20 left, down 7-5, the Avs had outshot Winnipeg 36-19, per NaturalStatTrick.com, and produced 10 “high-danger” chances to the Jets’ 8. What does all that mean? In terms of “expected goals,” per the site’s metrics, with a typical netminder, the Avs should’ve been leading 3-1 or 3-2 at the time.

    Nothing about this is typical anymore. What doubles the hurt is that the Avs came out firing right from the jump, getting off 11 shots in the first 10 minutes to Winnipeg’s one. They managed a 1-0 lead for their trouble. It lasted all of 112 seconds.

    More galling is that Colorado had a pivotal road game — since 2018, the Avs have won six of seven series in which they’ve notched a Game 1 victory — rocking at their pace of choice. Up and down, PlayStation style. “NHL 94” with the  “icing” and “fatigue” sliders switched to off.

    Alas, this is reality, not your frat bro’s basement. Although Game 1’s first period was so crazy, both goaltenders played as if they were wearing straitjackets. Six goals, seven giveaways, 22 shots and zero sanity.

    What happens when a team with playoff scars and playoff skill but leaky goaltending (the Avs) meets a team with postseason nerves but one of the best net-minders on the planet (the Jets)? The opening 16 minutes of Colorado-Winnipeg, a ride with more twists than a David Fincher flick.

    Down 1-0, the hosts scored twice in 3:55 to take a 1-goal lead. The Avs scored twice in 18 seconds for a 3-2 cushion. Which lived on for about 48 seconds until Mark Scheifle, camping out in front of Georgiev, slipped behind Josh Manson and slotted past the Colorado goalie to square things at 3-all.

    Annunen, a Game 1 scratch, posted a 2-1 record and 2.42 goals-against average over four games in April. Even at 65-70%, could the kid have been any worse than what transpired Sunday?

    “I don’t know if he’s going to be healthy enough to play or not,” Bednar told reporters Sunday. “He wasn’t healthy enough to play (Game 1). We’ll see what we see (Monday) morning.”

    The more you think about it, the more depressing it becomes. The Avs pounded Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck, your likely Vezina winner, with six goals — on his home ice. It was the first time Bucky’s ever been tagged for more than five in the postseason. And only the third time over his last 130 starts.

    [ad_2]

    Sean Keeler

    Source link

  • DU defenseman Sean Behrens signs three-year entry-level contract with Avalanche

    DU defenseman Sean Behrens signs three-year entry-level contract with Avalanche

    [ad_1]

    The Colorado Avalanche and Sean Behrens finally made it official.

    Behrens signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Avs, the team announced Friday, allowing the University of Denver defenseman to join the franchise that selected him 61st overall in the 2021 NHL draft. The deal begins in 2024-25, but he will join the Colorado Eagles in the AHL for the remainder of the 2023-24 season on an amateur tryout.

    Behrens took part in the Avs’ development camp in back-to-back years in 2022 and ’23. He comes to the Avs following a junior season at DU that saw him post career numbers in goals (4), assists (27), points (31) and games played (44).

    He is a two-time national champion, helping the Pioneers win their 10th NCAA championship just a week ago and their ninth in 2022 when Denver defeated Minnesota State.

    [ad_2]

    The Denver Post

    Source link

  • As the Stanley Cup Playoffs beckon, Zach Parise is ready for his last dance

    As the Stanley Cup Playoffs beckon, Zach Parise is ready for his last dance

    [ad_1]

    When Ross Colton scored his 15th goal of the season last month, he turned and jumped into the arms of Zach Parise.

    It was a great moment for Colton, who grew up in New Jersey with Parise as one of his favorite players. Colton has a photo of that embrace, and he intends to find a frame for it. He might want to grab another photo with one of his teenage idols Thursday night.

    Colorado Avalanche center Ross Colton (20) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate Zach Parise (9) in the second period at Ball Arena in Denver on Friday, March 22, 2024. Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) watches the celebration. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

    Parise, who joined the Avalanche just before the All-Star break after taking the first half of the season off, confirmed Wednesday to the Denver Post that the contest against Edmonton at Ball Arena will be the last regular-season game of a long and distinguished career.

    “Yeah, I’ve decided,” Parise said. “I’m not going to make a big deal out of it. I was content coming back that this would be the last one.”

    It will be regular-season game No. 1,254 for Parise, who has also played for the Devils, his hometown Minnesota Wild and the New York Islanders. He’s eighth all time among American-born players with 433 goals. His goal with 25 seconds left in regulation helped the United States reach overtime in the gold medal game of the 2010 Olympics before Sidney Crosby scored one of the most famous goals in hockey history for Canada.

    Parise had 21 goals for the Islanders last season, but had decided he was ready to hang up his skates this past summer … until he wasn’t. Then he spent the first half of the season working himself back into playing shape before signing Jan. 26 with the Avalanche.

    “It’s been awesome to be a part of,” Parise said. “The experience itself. Playing with these guys and even just practicing with them, it makes you a better player — even at my age. It’s gone even better than I thought it would be.”

    Parise has four goals and nine points in 29 games for the Avs. He’s moved around quite a bit in the lineup with various injuries. The forwards he’s played the most with are Colton and Miles Wood, who also played for a long time with the Devils.

    The pace at which he can play, even as he approaches his 40th birthday, and his versatility was attractive to Colorado as the Avs searched for another depth forward.

    “Knowing how he is, you knew he was going to come here in shape and ready to go. I had no doubt in my mind that he could step in and play,” said Avs defenseman Jack Johnson, who played with Parise at the 2010 Olympics. “He’s just a great guy to have around. He’s a great pro. Does everything right. Has a great attitude every day. Works hard, works on his craft — just a great human being on and off the ice and a great example for the younger guys.”

    Parise didn’t come back to play with the Avs to pad his regular-season resume. He’s here because there’s one big thing missing — a Stanley Cup championship. He got close with the Devils in 2012, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.

    The Avs have a lot of players who won the Cup in 2022. Colton won with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021. Jared Bednar said recently that helping Parise get his first is one of the reasons he wants to win again this season.

    Bednar isn’t alone.

    “Everybody wants to win, obviously. I think it would be even more special for him and to help him win,” Colton said. “I think when the time comes, it will be something we can rally around.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Nathan MacKinnon eviscerates Wild defense in much-needed Avalanche victory

    Nathan MacKinnon eviscerates Wild defense in much-needed Avalanche victory

    [ad_1]

    In a season full of spectacular performances, Nathan MacKinnon may have authored his masterpiece Tuesday night.

    It wasn’t just that MacKinnon had at least four points for the eighth time this season, including seven times at Ball Arena. Or his third hat trick of the year. Or that he reached 50 goals for the first time in his career, or pulled within two points of the franchise record set 42 years ago.

    It was how he dismantled the Minnesota Wild, a team that needed to avoid losing in regulation to keep its playoff chances. He didn’t just end the Wild’s season. MacKinnon systematically took apart a team that entered the night 10th in the NHL in goals allowed per game since John Hynes was named coach in late November.

    Behind MacKinnon’s four points and three from both Cale Makar and Jonathan Drouin, the Avalanche shook off some suspect early work on the penalty kill and blitzed the Wild in a 5-2 victory.

    “We’ve grown accustomed to seeing really special performances at different times during the year from him and some other guys, but that was pretty much as dominant of a performance as you can have in my books,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He comes up with these rush opportunities and I’ve seen him be fast out of those holes before in the D-zone, but tonight it was like a whole new level.

    “I just thought it was a stellar performance, a special performance.”

    The much-needed victory keeps Colorado’s faint hopes of winning the Central Division alive, but maybe more critically two points ahead of Winnipeg for second place with three games to play. The Jets will be in Denver on Saturday for the biggest game of the season to date.

    Makar had a goal and two assists, giving him 87 points this season. That sets a new franchise record for defenseman, passing his previous mark from two seasons ago.

    MacKinnon now has 51 goals and 137 points. He is two back of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the league lead, and two back of Peter Stastny’s franchise record, set during the 1981-82 season.

    “It feels good,” MacKinnon said. “You know, I’d never thought in my life I’d score 50, honestly. I never really thought about it. A lot of amazing plays from everybody all season, a lot of empty nets. A lot of hard work from the whole lineup. I think it’s a team achievement, honestly.”

    His third goal of the night, with 51.6 seconds left in the second period, set off a lengthy celebration. Not only did the ice crew have to collect hundreds of hats from the ice, some alterations were needed along the glass behind the Minnesota net.

    It was a chance for Avs faithful to voice their appreciation for MacKinnon’s brilliance. There were several M-V-P chants. The Beastie Boys blared from the sound speakers. It was a party, indeed. The good vibes were back after a couple of ugly losses.

    “We were laughing after his first goal. It felt like we were playing back in Halifax again,” said Drouin, who won the Memorial Cup with MacKinnon while playing for the Mooseheads in 2013. “I’ve seen those breakout goals where goes by the D and they just don’t stand a chance. He had his legs tonight, for sure.”

    MacKinnon’s first point came on a clever pass off the rebound of a Makar shot while the Avalanche was on a power play. He slipped the puck to Artturi Lehkonen in the slot for an easy one-timer and a 1-0 lead.

    Minnesota scored a pair of power-play goals in the second half of the first period, and the scene at the first intermission was considerably different. This wasn’t a perfect performance, but MacKinnon’s majesty made that seem like a distant memory less than 20 minutes of hockey later.

    All three of MacKinnon’s goals put his ferocious skating ability on display. Each time there was a Minnesota defenseman between him and the Wild net when he collected the puck.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin lead Avalanche to critical win against Wild

    Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin lead Avalanche to critical win against Wild

    [ad_1]

    ST. PAUL, Minn. — A couple of guys with Minnesota ties were making their first appearances at Xcel Energy Center in a Colorado Avalanche uniform. One State of Hockey great might have been making his last.

    But it was the two Halifax Mooseheads who added another chapter to an incredible season and helped the Avalanche collect a much-needed win Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild to try and keep pace with the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars.

    Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin had three points each to help the Avs fend off the pesky Wild in a 5-2 victory. The win moved Colorado to within three points of the Stars. Both teams have six games to play.

    “The most comfortable I’ve felt (is) the past couple weeks, especially playing with those guys,” Drouin said of Colorado’s top line. “I feel like I’m in the right spot. I’m not nervous. I’m not overwhelmed by it. I’m excited to play with those guys.”

    MacKinnon’s goal 6:32 into the third period gave the Avalanche some much-needed breathing room after the home side had been pushing for an equalizer. Cale Makar checked the puck away from Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek in the high slot, and then MacKinnon and Drouin went to work.

    MacKinnon sent the puck to Drouin, who returned the favor with a great pass to set him free for a shot back to the left as Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson got caught leaning too far the other way. It was MacKinnon’s 48th goal of the year. Mikko Rantanen added an empty-net goal to end any doubt.

    “(Drouin) is making really nice plays,” Rantanen said. “You can tell his confidence has been going (up) all year, so it’s great. It’s important. He’s playing well at the most important of the time of the year.”

    Drouin’s first goal gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Colorado caught a break when a tripping penalty was called on Kirill Kaprizov but a simultaneous trip of Eriksson Ek was not adjudicated. The Avs wasted little time. Drouin batted the rebound of a Makar shot from the top of the zone into the net for his 16th goal of the season.

    He added No. 17 just 43 seconds into the second period. Rantanen made a great play to get the play started in the offensive zone, and eventually Drouin tipped a blast from the top of the zone by MacKinnon past Gustavsson to give the Avs a 3-1 lead.

    “We didn’t talk about it yet, so I don’t know if it was on purpose or not,” Drouin said. “With him, I usually think it’s on purpose. I just try to get around my defender for two or three seconds and that puck was right on my stick.”

    At that point, it felt like Colorado was in control. The Wild clawed back, controlling large portions of the second period and creating lots of quality chances. Declan Chisholm made it a 3-2 score midway through the period with a power-play goal.

    The shots were 18-8 in the middle frame, but Justus Annunen made several quality saves. Drouin also made the defensive play of the game in the first minute of the third period.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Nathan MacKinnon’s work ethic has propelled him to record heights, and the legendary comparisons are just beginning

    Nathan MacKinnon’s work ethic has propelled him to record heights, and the legendary comparisons are just beginning

    [ad_1]

    Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin end warmups before every Colorado Avalanche game the same way.

    MacKinnon sets up in the left circle. Drouin finds a spot on the right side of the ice, armed with a couple handfuls of pucks he’s gathered. Then they practice cross-ice passes to each other, with MacKinnon eventually shooting each towards the net on a one-timer.

    The pair of old friends who have been reunited do this at the end of nearly every practice as well. They change the angle of the passes. Some have a little more sauce on them. Over and over — Drouin to MacKinnon for a one-timer, Drouin to MacKinnon, back to Drouin, back to MacKinnon for a one-timer, and so on.

    In this remarkable season, for both players, there couldn’t be a more fitting way for MacKinnon to reach a major milestone than what transpired Sunday afternoon at Ball Arena. MacKinnon set a new Denver-based record for points in a season when he collected No. 120 to tie Joe Sakic from 28 years ago, No. 121 to establish a new mark and No. 122 to continue his chase of the overall franchise standard of 139, set by Peter Stastny 42 years ago.

    MacKinnon tied the record by setting up Drouin for a one-timer. He broke the record from nearly the same spot, only this time it was Drouin who fed him.

    “We talk about that weak side a lot. Great pass by him,” MacKinnon said. “He’s got amazing vision. He always has. Yeah, great pass.”

    Drouin scored the game-winning goal in overtime, with assists from Cale Makar and MacKinnon. It was a three-point game for him as well, and Drouin is now four points shy of his career high.

    When Drouin signed a one-year, bargain-bin contract with the Avs, everyone immediately pointed to the connection between him and MacKinnon. They’ve been friends for more than a decade, dating back to their days carpooling together with the Halifax Mooseheads.

    Drouin has proven he doesn’t need MacKinnon to be a high-level NHL player, and he’s been one of the signings of the offseason. But, Avs coach Jared Bednar did put them back together Sunday while Colorado was trying to erase a four-goal deficit, and the dynamic duo made more magic together.

    How many times have they practiced those one-timers together? It’s in the thousands, easily.

    “Oh, a lot. Just come to one of our practices,” Bednar said. “They’re out early, they’re out late, they’re always working on those little touches and shots. It’s funny, we had trouble going through the seams too many times in the first period, and yet, we get two seam goals in the third.”

    MacKinnon has now scored more points in one season in an Avalanche uniform than Sakic or Peter Forsberg, the two pantheon pillars of the franchise, ever did. After the game, MacKinnon deflected comparisons to an all-time great player, saying he doesn’t believe he’s as good right now as Sakic ever was.

    That’s what he always does. It’s getting harder for anyone else to follow his lead, though.

    “I mean, this guy’s a phenomenal player, right?” Bednar said of his Hart Trophy candidate. “But that’s pretty good company. When you’re talking about our boss (Sakic) that’s had such a phenomenal career, then you watch what Nate’s doing, and it just speaks to who Nate is as a player.”

    Drouin, like MacKinnon, is of a certain age where most hockey-playing boys in Canada grew up idolizing one of two players — Sakic or Steve Yzerman. Asked if he was a Sakic guy growing up, Drouin said that Forsberg was actually his favorite.

    Either way, MacKinnon is now walking among those legends. He just passed Sakic’s single-season mark. He’s also chasing Wayne Gretzky’s record for consecutive home games with a point, and this game left him just six shy.

    “It’s crazy,” Drouin said. “Even if you look at that point streak, every time they show it and the names that are up there – Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky, Sakic, Forsberg – all those guys. He’s having a hell of a season, but credit to him because he puts a lot of work in.”

    This is the best season of MacKinnon’s career. It might earn him his first Art Ross or Hart Trophy.

    It’s only MacKinnon’s second 100-plus point season, but he’s been close to this good for five years now. The only things keeping him from having stacked five seasons like this was a global pandemic that cut two years short and a couple of injuries in 2021-22.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Brandon Duhaime’s journey from Alligator Alley to the Avalanche included integral help from Colorado College’s Kris Mayotte

    Brandon Duhaime’s journey from Alligator Alley to the Avalanche included integral help from Colorado College’s Kris Mayotte

    [ad_1]

    Locke Mayotte will be one of the unexpected winners after the Colorado Avalanche’s flurry of moves before the NHL trade deadline earlier this month.

    Brandon Duhaime was one of four new additions to the Avs roster. The importance of his acquisition gained more clarity a few days later when the club announced Logan O’Connor needed season-ending hip surgery.

    Duhaime arrived in Colorado to help bolster the Avalanche’s depth at forward and on the penalty kill. He’s one of those guys who embraces playing one of the more thankless roles on an NHL team.

    How did he evolve into that type of player? Locke’s dad, Kris Mayotte, who is now the head coach at Colorado College, played an integral role in Duhaime’s development when he was an assistant at Providence.

    “I love Dewey,” Kris Mayotte said. “Such a great kid, such a hard worker, very dedicated, doesn’t leave a stone unturned in terms of him trying to become the best player he can become.

    “I was so excited to see that he got traded to Colorado. I sent him a text right away. I have a 2-year-old and I was like, ‘I can’t wait to get him a Duhaime jersey.’ We’re so excited that he’s here.”

    Duhaime grew up in Parkland, Fla., near the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. He played on a youth team with Ottawa’s Jakob Chychrun and Boston’s Andrew Peeke. As they got older and sought better competition, Duhaime and Chychrun played for the Junior Everblades in Estero, Fla., which meant a nearly 150-mile commute across Alligator Alley every weekend.

    Eventually, Duhaime moved to British Columbia and began a journey that included two years at a B.C. prep school, one year in the BCHL and one year split between two teams in the USHL. Originally committed to Brown, Duhaime re-opened his recruitment, and that’s where Mayotte comes in.

    Duhaime had interest from Boston College and Michigan, but ultimately chose Providence over the University of Denver.

    “(Mayotte) was huge in the recruiting process,” Duhaime said. “He was calling me all the time. When I got to Providence, he did the exact thing he said he was going to do. He helped develop me into the player I am. A huge shout out to those guys for kind of taking care of me and doing the right things for me.”

    The pitch that helped lead him to Rhode Island centered around Duhaime’s style of play and what type of player he wanted to, or needed to become. Duhaime was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild, but the chances of him developing into a frontline player at the highest level were slim.

    The raw materials to mold a high-level role player were there, though. Duhaime has good size and above-average skating ability. But not every player who is always one of the best on every team he plays on as a kid can make that transition.

    “He was always a sponge,” Mayotte said. “Wanted to watch the video, wanted any tip that you could possibly give him, whether it was diet, whether it was skills, whether it didn’t matter — he wanted it.

    “A big part of what we were able to do was build that belief that you don’t have to be Macklin Celebrini or Connor McDavid to play in the NHL. They need guys that can kill penalties and be F1 on the forecheck and do those hard things. If you can become one of the best in the world at that, you get to play in the NHL. So it’s developing the skills that are required to play at this level, but also building in an understanding of what it means to find a role, embrace a role and excel at it.”

    Duhaime thrived at Providence, helping the Friars to back-to-back berths in the Frozen Four. He signed with the Wild after his junior season and put in two more years of development time in the AHL.

    This is his third season in the NHL, and it didn’t take long for Duhaime to become a fan favorite in the Twin Cities. The guy on the Avs whose style might resemble his the best is Miles Wood — big, fast and enjoys creating high-speed collisions with players in different-colored jerseys.

    Duhaime had to play his old mates in his first game with the Avalanche, which is always a weird day but especially so when it happens so soon. Since then, it’s been a pretty seamless transition.

    He’s made the penalty kill deeper. He’s helped make the fastest team in the league look even faster. And both he and Yakov Trenin look like the type of additions that pay big dividends when the games really start to matter in late April and beyond.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin set new career highs as Avalanche blasts Blue Jackets

    Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin set new career highs as Avalanche blasts Blue Jackets

    [ad_1]

    The only drama left in the final period Friday night at Ball Arena was whether Nathan MacKinnon could continue his pursuit of NHL history and extend his home scoring streak to 33 games.

    MacKinnon took care of it with 13:59 to spare, then added another on a surgical power-play goal barely more than a minute later to help the Colorado Avalanche crush the Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-1. It was Colorado’s eighth straight victory, and moved the Avalanche to the top of the Central Division with 95 points.

    “The streak is a result of all the hard work and dedication that he brings to the game on a nightly basis,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “There’s not a guy on that bench that didn’t know he hadn’t had a point yet, and when he got it everyone was pretty happy. You can see he wants it. He was a little ornery on the bench when he hadn’t got a point yet. That’s the pressure he puts on himself.”

    Cale Makar casually broke up a 2-on-2 rush for the Blue Jackets and set MacKinnon loose on a breakaway. MacKinnon had seven shots on goal before this, but didn’t miss with No. 8 and set a new career high with 43 goals in a season. Toss in the primary assist on Mikko Rantanen’s second goal of the night 73 seconds later, and MacKinnon has 119 points, one shy of Joe Sakic’s Denver-based record.

    The overall franchise record, 139 for Peter Stastny in 1981-82, remains very much in play. MacKinnon’s home scoring streak is now tied with one Wayne Gretzky run for the second-longest in league history. He’s chasing Gretzky’s 1988-89 season, when he had a point in all 40 home games.

    Makar had Colorado’s first goal after a nifty rush sequence. Jonathan Drouin gained the offensive zone and left a drop pass for Artturi Lehkonen. He immediately found Makar in some open space near the right circle for his 18th goal of the season. That ties Nashville’s Roman Josi for the league lead among defensemen and left him three points shy of Quinn Hughes for tops in that category.

    Jared Bednar reunited Ross Colton and Miles Wood on the team’s third line along with Zach Parise, and that trio created the second goal. Parise pulled up along the right wing, saw his linemates both loitering near the net and sent the puck in that direction. Both guys were there hunting for the rebound, and Colton shoveled it across the line for his 15th of the season.

    “I feel like they should be playing together,” Bednar said. “They get along off the ice. We’ve seen them play some great stretches of games. … I know that they have it in them. They just had to work through some issues. Great conscious on the defensive side tonight, physical, went to the net hard, drew penalties, banged in a rebound goal. I liked that line a lot tonight.”

    Bednar did some in-game tinkering as well, flipping MacKinnon and Casey Mittelstadt’s on the top two lines. Rantanen scored on Mittelstadt’s first shift with him and Valeri Nichushkin, deflecting a point shot from Josh Manson past Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

    Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) handles the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean (22) in the first period at Ball Arena in Denver on Friday, March 22, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor to have season-ending hip surgery

    Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor to have season-ending hip surgery

    [ad_1]

    Logan O’Connor’s season is done for the Colorado Avalanche.

    The veteran forward is set to have season-ending hip surgery, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Sunday.

    O’Connor was in the middle of a career year for the Avs, but this has been a lingering injury. He missed four games last month, then returned to play six times before shutting it down again. There’s no timeline on a return until after the surgery is complete, but Bednar ruled him out for the rest of the regular-season and the playoffs.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Avalanche believes Casey Mittelstadt can unlock even more after recent breakout

    Avalanche believes Casey Mittelstadt can unlock even more after recent breakout

    [ad_1]

    If Casey Mittelstadt scores a huge goal or sets one up with a beautiful pass for the Colorado Avalanche this spring, there is one member of the organization who will probably feel an extra twinge of pride.

    Mittelstadt’s career hit an unexpected low point in 2019-20, when the Buffalo Sabres sent their recent top-10 draft pick and a player who carried such high expectations to Rochester in the American Hockey League. Toby Petersen, now a skills coach for the Avalanche, was an assistant coach on that team.

    Things had not gone according to plan with the Sabres after joining the club after his freshman season at the University of Minnesota and a full rookie season in the NHL at 20 years old. Mittelstadt played 36 games with Petersen and the Americans.

    “I think that was a big turning point for myself,” Mittelstadt said. “I was able to go down and just play really freely. The coaches were really supportive. I think I started to really enjoy being at the rink with the guys and having fun again. I realized that I love this game and this is what I want to do. Having Toby on the staff was huge for me. He and Chris Taylor, they’re great guys and great people and they helped me a lot.”

    Mittelstadt’s rise, fall and rebirth as an NHL player is a reminder that not every prospect, not even the phenoms, has a smooth, linear path to fulfilling their potential. He is one of the best players in Minnesota high school hockey history. He was the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NHL draft.

    Players picked that high, particularly forwards, often never see the AHL. And when they do after spending 114 games in the NHL, it’s seen as a disappointment. Mittelstadt said there were a lot of people who deserved credit for helping him get to this point — in the midst of a second-straight productive season and the No. 2 center on a Stanley Cup contender after the Avs traded defenseman Bo Byram for him this past week.

    Hockey is a small world, and Mittelstadt, now 25 years old, is reunited with one of those people.

    “I was pretty excited when I heard (Petersen) was here,” Mittelstadt said. “He’s a familiar face and someone that I can bounce things off. We had a great relationship in Rochester. He’s obviously a smart hockey mind, so definitely excited to have him here.”

    The Avalanche believes Mittelstadt can solve what has been the organization’s toughest riddle: Who can be the next center on the depth chart after Nathan MacKinnon? It worked with Nazem Kardi, and there’s a Stanley Cup banner at Ball Arena as a reminder.

    It has not worked to varying degrees with several others, most recently Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher and Ryan Johansen. Mittelstadt began his Avs career Friday night next to Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin, and both his new coach and general manager have made it clear that’s the spot in the lineup they expect him to help upgrade.

    “We’re not trading Bo Byram for a 31-year-old or a 30-year-old. We’re not trading Bo Byram probably for a winger,” Avs GM Chris MacFarland said Friday. “Defensemen are really hard to get, and top-two line centers, top-three line centers are really hard to get. You’ve got to draft them or you’ve got to pay a big price to get them, whether that’s in free agency or via trade. So the fact that we traded a player and a person of Bo’s stature for Casey tells you what we think of him.

    “We think an awful lot of him. We think he’s going to have a big role here. Hopefully it will be a good marriage, but we’re excited to have him.”

    Mittelstadt’s breakout didn’t happen directly after his time in Rochester, but injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic were factors. He played 81 games across two seasons, and the production did tick upward.

    A bigger jump came last season. He finished with 15 goals and 59 points. He followed that up this year with 14 goals and a team-leading 47 points in 62 games before the trade. If he can produce at a similar level for the Avalanche, Colorado will have its most productive No. 2 center since Kadri left.

    But the Avs believe there could still be more for Mittelstadt to unlock. MacFarland mentioned it the day they traded for him. Mittelstadt has taken longer to blossom into an impact player, but the jump from high school hockey to the NHL with just one season at the NCAA level might have been too much, too fast.

    His body needed time to develop, and he needed time to figure out how to translate his sublime skills to the pace and physicality of the NHL.

    “He’s got good hands. He’s a very good playmaking center with really good vision,” MacFarland said. “We think the last two years, his game has taken a jump. He’s gotten stronger with experience, and we think there might even be another level to his game.”

    There’s another reason to dream a little more on Mittelstadt. Several young players have left Buffalo in recent seasons, a franchise that hasn’t reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, and found a new level of performance elsewhere.

    Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Brandon Montour and Linus Ullmark, who were all teammates of Mittelstadt’s when he broke into the NHL, have all reached new heights after moving on.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Avalanche podcast: Multiple trades shake up Colorado’s roster, plus the Sidney Crosby situation at the trade deadline

    Avalanche podcast: Multiple trades shake up Colorado’s roster, plus the Sidney Crosby situation at the trade deadline

    [ad_1]

    In the inaugural edition of Avs Ink, beat writer Corey Masisak talks with Chris Johnston of The Athletic, TSN and the Steve Dangle Podcast Network about where the Avs stand leading into the NHL trade deadline. Among the topics discussed:

    • Colorado makes two big trades, adding Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker while subtracting Bo Byram and Ryan Johansen
    • The market for Jake Guentzel, the No. 1 player on Johnston’s NHL trade board, and how that relates to the Avs.
    • The fascination with Sidney Crosby potentially joining forces with Nathan MacKinnon if he ever decides to pursue a championship outside of Pittsburgh.
    • Valeri Nichushkin’s pending return to the lineup.
    • Nikoali Kovalenko, the ultimate wild card.

    Subscribe to the podcast
    SoundCloud | iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link

  • Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen all collect four points as Avalanche embarrasses Red Wings

    Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen all collect four points as Avalanche embarrasses Red Wings

    [ad_1]

    The Avalanche made two significant trades Wednesday morning to bolster their chances of winning the Stanley Cup this season. Then the guys who are the biggest reason why they can win a second title in three years when out and put on a show against the Detroit Red Wings at Ball Arena.

    Cale Makar had his first career hat trick, while he, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen all had four-point games to help the shorthanded Avalanche blow by the Red Wings, 7-2.

    General manager Chris MacFarland shook up the roster earlier in the day with a pair of trades. The Avs added a new No. 2 center, Casey Mittelstadt, from the Buffalo Sabres and right-handed defenseman Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers.

    Bo Byram went to Buffalo and Ryan Johansen was sent to Philadelphia in the transactions. The new guys didn’t arrive in Denver in time to play and forward Logan O’Connor was unavailable because of an injury.

    That left the Avalanche undermanned — Colorado moved Caleb Jones into the lineup for Byram and recalled forwards Jean-Luc Foudy and Ondrej Pavel to fill out the forward corps.

    The big guns made sure it wasn’t a problem. MacKinnon became the first player to score 40 goals in back-to-back seasons for the franchise since it moved to Denver from Quebec, while also grabbing sole possession of the NHL scoring lead with 109 points — four more than Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.

    [ad_2]

    Corey Masisak

    Source link