It wasn’t going to be easy getting back in the win column for the Colorado Avalanche, going up against a hot Pittsburgh Penguins team, but no one would have expected the outcome the way it did. Bad defense, not great goaltending, mistakes everywhere led to a brutal night of hockey as the Avalanche fell 7-2.
Thirty seconds in, Evgeni Malkin is called for tripping, but the Avalanche couldn’t capitalize on the early power play. Just over 10 seconds out of the box, Malkin with a nice spin-o-rama backhand shot beats Scott Wedgewood to make it 1-0 on their first shot of the game. Though it’s Martin Necas who finds Nathan MacKinnon trailing, and he toe-drag riles a shot, beating Artur Silovs and tying the game 1-1.
The Avalanche defense is caught lacking as Erik Karlsson fires a cross-ice pass to Anthony Mantha, as he finds himself behind the defense and scores on the breakaway, making it 2-1. Ville Koivunen is called for cross-checking, sending the Avalanche to the power play, and it does look much better than their first opportunity. Jack Drury is called for interference, sending the Penguins to their first power play, but the Avalanche does a good job killing it off.
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Again, it’s the Avalanche defense making it too easy for the Penguins as Josh Manson gets beat to the puck and Nick Blankenburg drifts way too far over, leaving Malkin all alone, making it 3-1. With that goal, Wedgewood’s night is over as he lets in three goals on five shots, and Mackenzie Blackwood comes in. It’s not a great start for Blackwood as he stops his first shot seen, but Devon Toews is out bodied in front by Elmer Soderblom, and he’s able to score the rebound, 4-1.
Burns late in the period sends a shot from the blueline and is tipped by Mantha, and in making it 4-2 heading into the second period. That goal helped him pass Bobby Orr and now ranks 7th among defensemen in NHL history for goals.
Mantha is called for holding, but the Avalanche’s power play goes nowhere. Set up in the offensive zone, Karlsson’s shot from the blueline is tipped by Noel Acciari and in, making it 5-2. Silvos goes for the poke check, but trips Roy in turn and is called for it, but the Avalanche penalty goes 0/4 in the turn.
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Roy is called for tripping, but the Avalanche continue to hold strong on the penalty kill, though right as they kill off the penalty, they are immediately called for too many men. They get a good scoring chance on the pk with a 3-on-2, but they turn it over, and it’s Bryan Rust waiting for the breakaway to make it 6-2 as the period ends.
Soderblom with his best Malkin impression of the spinorama pass, and it bounces off Acciari’s skate and in 7-2. Drury dropped the gloves against Connor Clifton and was pretty much out of the third period.
It was an ugly game, to say the least, but the one positive was that the Dallas Stars lost to the Utah Mammoth 6-2 tonight, so no ground was lost.
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Though it’s going to be a key matchup when they face them on Wednesday, March 18, at home.
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