Game recap: Alexandar Georgiev slams the door in the Colorado Avalanche’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings

The Colorado Avalanche traveled to Detroit to face their long-time rival, the Red Wings, after a tough loss in Carolina. The Avalanche needed to win to stay above .500, and the Red Wings wanted to avoid a four-game deficit.

Recap

The Avs’ constant struggle to start hockey games was a criticism many had against the team. Val Nichushkin continued to work hard to ensure that would not be the case tonight. After scoring the team’s last two goals in the loss to the Hurricanes, he scored his third goal in as many games by following up a blocked shot from the rush and firing it past Ville Husso.

It was good for the Avalanche to get a lead early in the game and the rest of the first team was solid. They created good chances and allowed a few to the other side. Overall, you could describe it as a good time on the road.

The second was a completely different story. Colorado would start over again. They applied pressure and created a few chances, which led to Ross Colton conceding a penalty in his first game back since breaking his foot.

Even after scoring the first goal, the Avalanche struggled to maintain the lead and score another goal. Combine that with the fact that the Avalanche power play has been in the mud lately and it was a great chance for Colorado to right the ship a bit. Cale Makar played the role of captain on this ship as he sank his patented wrist shot from the point to give the Avs a much-needed two-goal lead.

That two-goal cushion would quickly become crucial as the Avs would spend most of the second period on their heels after the score. Detroit has lost four straight and played like a team desperate to get out of its slump. Conversely, the Avalanche played like a team that knew it had to go to New Jersey to play the Devils against a rested, quality hockey team. Alexandar Georgiev was up to the task and consistently saved his team in midfield. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do as Dylan Larkin spun up to fire a Hail Mary handballer that Lukas Raymond caught a stick on.

The Red Wings made the score 2-1 late in the second half, so the Avs simply had to ride out the rest of the frame and regroup at the break. The absence of the following text should be a good indication that the Avs have made adjustments.

Colorado definitely flipped the script in the third period and suffocated the Red Wings, outscoring them 11-1 at 5-on-5. A favorite way to close out a hockey game for a team heading into the ultimate Segababa tomorrow.

After Husso was called to the bench, Detroit got things going with some nice offense up front, but it was too little, too late as Georgiev closed the door and gave the Avs a much-needed win.

Takeaways

That wasn’t a pretty hockey game. The Avalanche’s first two periods left a lot to be desired, particularly in the puck management category. They continue to make poor decisions when the puck is at both ends of the ice, which gets them into big trouble. Luckily, it wasn’t as egregious and against as good a team as the last game in Carolina. With tired legs, the Avalanche will certainly have to fix that tomorrow.

The Avs’ top line was the biggest culprit when it came to puck problems. They didn’t play particularly well, but they couldn’t withstand the pressure forever and were constantly confined to their own zone. That should never happen on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. On the bright side, these two have a lot to offer for tomorrow’s game.

The Avs middle six was their engine tonight. It was encouraging to see the second line finally find its rhythm and Colton was reinserted into the lineup as they scored and converted the penalty that led to the Avs’ second goal. The third line has been similarly dominant, but they have a skill ceiling that often gets in the way. Both lines controlled the game and came away with dominant numbers across the board. The second line in particular had some stunning results with a scoring chances advantage of 9-1 and a chances advantage of 4-0 when danger was high. They were dominant tonight. Something the Avalanche desperately needed given the way their first team played tonight.

Alexandar Georgiev recovered well after a difficult game against Buffalo. He’s had a tough time this year, but it’s encouraging to see how well he’s bouncing back after tough games. Definitely not something we’ve seen this year. He made some big saves to save the Avalanche, especially toward the end. He just has to find the consistency.

Cale Makar also did Cale Makar stuff. Do I need to say more?

Soon

Colorado has a quick turnaround as they play the Devils tomorrow night in New Jersey. Puck drop will occur at 5:00 p.m. MT as the Avalanche will look to steal one in what is sure to be a tough contest. Mile High Hockey is here for you.