Triumph in Tempe: Avs resiliency shines against pesky desert dogs
Mar 26, 2023, 5:00 PM
The Colorado Avalanche are finally done with the irritating Arizona Coyotes.
The Avs’ 4-3 shootout win was satisfying but felt flat-out annoying. Despite a 25-point difference between the two clubs, there is relief that this opponent is in the rear-view mirror. All four games against the Coyotes have been as irksome as a spring break sunburn.
The Avs were in complete cruise control, leading 2-0 in the third. But the desert dogs didn’t get the message to lay down. Instead, the Yotes tied the game with two quick goals by Matias Maccelli and Christian Fischer.
One thing to know about bad teams, they do stupid things.
Liam O’Brien tripped Evan Rodrigues putting the Avs on the Power Play. In short order, Valeri Nichushkin, who has been on a scoring tear, picked up his 15th goal of the year.
Game over, right?
Nope.
Clayton Keller tied it up just two minutes and change later.
In the hotbox that is Mullet Arena on the campus of Arizona State, the Avs were suddenly stumbling more than a freshman with a fake ID on Mill Ave. They were doubled up on shots 14-7 in the third. What seemed as easy as Friday’s 3-1 win against the same Arizona team in Denver, now appeared to be a frustrating chore.
In overtime, the Avs line of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen put extreme pressure on goalie Connor Ingram.
No luck.
Cale Makar had his typical overtime breakaway opportunity which has twice worked on Ingram both in the playoffs when Ingram played for Nashville and 15 days ago in Denver.
No luck.
Into the unpredictable shootout, where Nichushkin, as the seventh shooter, made a brilliant move taking the puck to his backhand only to use his extraordinary length to come back to his forehand and tuck the puck past Ingram, sealing the OT win.
“We outplayed them in the first two, and in the third, they were pushing,” said Rantanen on the broadcast. “It looked like we were tired. But for sure, the third period, we gotta be better tomorrow.”
Moose collected his team-leading 48th goal of the year earlier in the game. He has played brilliantly all season aside from losing his cool for a couple of games in a row. With ten games to go, it’s easy to see where landing on the magical fifty-goal mark will provide personal motivation.
However, as the third period demonstrated, late in the season, it’s easy to lose focus. With a game in hand over Minnesota, the Avs can leap to first in the Central if they can muster the energy to beat Anaheim, another sub-par team, tomorrow night.
“Arizona is stricter defensively,” said head coach Jared Bednar. “Anaheim has a really skilled group, so they can create offense, but if you check them the right way, you can find a way to win the hockey game.”
Avs goalie Alexander Georgiev is having a low-key epic season in the net. His win in Tempe tied him with David Aebischer for most road wins in organization history.
“It’s how the game developed,” Georgie told Katie Gaus about the tumultuous final period. “The third was a couple of bad bounces. It doesn’t matter to me. We just have to play the right way for the full 60.”
The Avs are rolling to the playoffs, and a legit defense of the Cup seems more realistic, which wasn’t the case a month ago.
“It’s that time of the year to dial up the competitiveness,” said Bednar.
At the end of the day, the Avs should thank the Coyotes for toughening them up. On a college campus on Sunday afternoon, the Avs used extra credit to pass their mid-term.
