The Avalanche spent 60 minutes to the wall using their collective backs. For all those backs to break, it took only 41 minutes of overtime.
Patrick Kane’s power play goal less than a minute to action, his second of the day, handed Colorado its fourth straight loss, a 3-2 decision on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Pepsi Center.
The visitors opened the excess period using a 4-on-3 energy play following Avs captain Gabe Landeskog was whistled for a 4-minute double minor high-sticking telephone with 18:48 left in regulation.
“Take 2, four, eight minutes of fines in the last seven minutes of this match,” trainer Jared Bednar stated, “(it’s) hard to win. ”
The Avs fell to 1-7 in overtime contests this year, but didn’t lose any ground from the Central standings. Colorado moved over a point (45) of Nashville (46) and Winnipeg (50), as the Predators and Jets lost to the Rangers and Wild, respectively.
Chicago’s second visit to the Pepsi Center in nine days opened a four-game homestand, one which saw the Avs hanging hard despite being extended on chances and short on equipment. Facing a 5-on-3 Chicago power play 12 minutes left in the contest, defenseman Patrick Nemeth shot a laser shot his own body, breaking his rod for its cause. Winger Gabriel Bourque was able to help precisely the same Blackhawks power play without a rod, protecting ownership of the puck with his skates, football fashion.
It was a power play opportunity with three minutes left at the initial period that captured the hosts to the match — and obtained defenseman Tyson Barrie to the record books. The 27-year-old defenseman helped set up Mikko Rantanen’s 17th objective of the year, a top-shelf wrister on the brief side at the 17:04 mark of this period that shaved the Chicago lead to 2-1.
Barrie’s assist on the target was the 208th of his own Avs career, moving him past John Michael-Liles to its maximum helpers in business history with a Colorado defenseman. Additionally, it moved Barrie nearer to Michael-Liles about the team’s all time scoring list of defensemen with 273 points, only three short of the best slot.
The evening’s silver linings included a rally by Avs goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who ceased 34 out of 37 shots in his first start since Dec. 1. This was the first time Varlamov had enabled fewer than three goals in regulation since a shutout victory at Detroit on Dec. 2.
“Varlamov) has a 55-minute shutout or whatever it was,” Landeskog explained. “I thought he played extremely well the whole match, and (it) sucks. ”
The beginning of the homestand additionally marked — temporarily — the debut of this Avs’ fresh lineup combos, with Matt Nieto, most importantly, inserted to the upper line together with Nathan McKinnon and Rantanen. Bednar had juggled the lines in an effort to find back some juice into a crime that had managed to score more than two objects in a game only twice in their previous six competitions dating back to Dec. 15.
The experiment lasted for just a period of time, as the Avs’ traditional lineup — The M-G-M trio of Landeskog, McKinnon and Rantanen — was reinstalled to start the second stanza.
The reunion paid dividends immediately in terms of energy within the center 20 minutes, and could eventually affect the scoresheet, also. McKinnon glided to the point and fired a slap shot past Chicago goaltender Collin Delia with 1:39 left in the second stage, knotting the contest at 2-2 with his 23rd goal of the season.
“I don’t know that we got any better or any worse out of it, to be honest with you,” Bednar stated.
Associated Articles
Pirri’s target in 3rd lifts Golden Knights over Avalanche
Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon termed Central Division captain for 2019 NHL All-Star Game
Avalanche’s crime stymied by Blackhawks’ rookie goalie
Avalanche loses Nikita Zadorov for at least two games with trauma
Analysis: Avalanche’s Gabe Landeskog with a Joe Sakic-like year
The lineups might have looked different at the outset, but the storyline — at least over the initial 15 minutes or so — sure as hell didn’t. Just like Dec. 21 at the Pepsi Center, young Blackhawks goaltender Collin Delia flustered the hosts ancient. And just like Dec. 21,” Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring.
Avs center Alexander Kerfoot was whistled for slashing on Kane just 1:03 into the contest, and the Blackhawks cashed in the individual advantage, opening the scoring on a power-play target on the left faceoff circle by DeBrincat 43 seconds later off a feed by Kane. DeBrincat’s wrister overcome Varlamov stick side to put the visitors up 1-0.
After setting up Chicago’s opening goal, Kane padded the Blackhawks’ early lead by incorporating a few of his own — even a rope in the ideal faceoff circle at the 9:38 mark of the initial period that doubled the perimeter.
Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buytickets.com