10 Observations: Why the Avalanche’s win in Detroit was crucial to the road trip (+)

DETROIT – It’s not often that the 28th game of the season is as important as this one. Not for a Stanley Cup contender – not for this iteration of the Avalanche.

But Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings was huge. It was important for the Avs, it was vital to the road trip and it prepared them to not only have a solid trip but also make sure it doesn’t completely fall apart.

Had the Avs lost, they would have fallen to .500, which isn’t quite where they wanted to be after more than a third of the season. Their current record of 15-13-0 is below expectations anyway.

That would also have meant they were 1-2-0 on the trip, with their only win coming in a game in which they trailed 4-0 before staging a miraculous comeback. With the Avs in New Jersey for the second straight game on Sunday, the pressure to get two points against a stronger team would have been multiplied. But if they lose to the Devils, they still have a chance to win 6 out of 10 points by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Like I said, it’s only Game 28. But this one was important and the Avs got the job done.

My observations from Detroit

1. This point was also important for the goalkeeper. Greetings to Alexandar Georgiev.

It’s not easy to recover from this Buffalo game. I thought head coach Jared Bednar was going to give him the Devils and drive Wedgewood for another night, but Georgie stepped in and played well. As always, it is the game-to-game inconsistencies that have hurt him this season. Bednar pointed this out after the great victory.

2. Georgiev was outstanding during the Red Wings’ late upset. He made eight saves in the final 2:31 minutes, including six stops in 17 seconds.

3. Ross Colton returned Saturday and played well, although Bednar limited his ice time, which was the plan all along. Colton’s original recovery time was 6-8 weeks, but his return came 40 days after he broke his foot. Bednar said before the game that Colton would likely need some time to get his conditioning back up to speed. If you break your foot, you won’t be able to skate for several weeks.

4. Colton started on the second row with Casey Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin. Bednar said the goal is to get him back to the top at some point. I still think Nichushkin is the one who should play with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Especially after the all-around great game he played in Detroit.

5. Nichushkin played only 17:53, which is fine for a second-liner. The top line was around 22 minutes, but it was Nichushkin who closed out the game with the two superstars.

6. Mittelstadt had an assist on the Nichushkin goal, but he still seems a step behind the game. Like I said, Bednar wants Colton back on top. Not only because he had a great start to the season, but also because he wants Mittelstadt back with Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. The team is doing everything it can to get the No. 2 center out of this rut.

7. Only 6:58 of ice time for Nikolai Kovalenko. He has scored just two goals and zero assists in the last 11 games and has seen his ice time dip below 10 minutes six times in that span.

8. Keaton Middleton and Calvin de Haan as a couple are…not great.

9. JT Compher’s stats this season are pretty bad. It will be difficult to get just the second part of a lucrative five-year contract.

10. The Red Wings had one shot on goal in the first 17 minutes of the third period where they suffered a shot on goal. The excitement mentioned above followed, but things still look difficult. It was only 2:1.

Is this the game that leads to a coaching change?