The New York Rangers learned on Thursday that you can’t stop the Avalanche. You can only contain them for a limited amount of time.
Colorado didn’t lead until the third period. But Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, and the rest of the surging Avs still ended up doubling the Rangers, winning 6-3 at Ball Arena to increase their winning streak to seven games.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was another two points from the offensively gifted Avalanche.
“When things aren’t going well, we can put the cute away a little bit and make it a more workman-like mentality, a little bit more meat and potatoes offensively,” head coach Jared Bednar said, describing his team’s resilience. “That seems to jumpstart our offense.”
The Avs trailed 1-0 and 2-1 and had late goals in both the first and second to tie it up. In the first period, the Rangers did a great job holding them off. In the second, Colorado got its chances, but goalie Igor Shesterkin was rock solid between the pipes.
In the third, the floodgates opened. The Avalanche got a power-play goal, then another tally later, and added two empty-netters. They were contained. They weren’t stopped.
“I like our team. I like the way we’re playing,” Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said. “I like the fact that we’re able to find different ways to win hockey games with different people stepping up every night. Not always pretty, not always perfect, but I think we’re continuing to polish our game and make sure our consistency is there.”
MacKinnon and Makar both had two goals and an assist and Necas had three helpers. Brock Nelson also finished with multiple points, recording a goal and an assist.
The top line had to take over the game. But the depth still helped. And that was with a shortened bench following a first-period injury to Gavin Brindley.
“Lower body. We’ll see how he presents tomorrow,” Bednar said of the rookie forward. “He was sore, he got hit behind the net, got dinged up, wasn’t able to come back out. So not great news, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Tied 2-2, the Avs got a power-play goal from Nelson to gain the lead. It was the only PP tally they had all night on six tries, but it was a big goal in a big moment. New York answered back on the man advantage to make it 3-3 with 9:42 remaining.
But the response from the Avs was much quicker this time. Just 30 seconds later, Makar shot one of the post after getting a pass from Necas. The rebound went to MacKinnon, who put it past Shesterkin for what eventually stood as the game-winning goal.
The Avs became just the fourth team in NHL history to have only one or zero regulation losses through 20 games.
Positive: Wedgewood’s Big Stops
Wedgewood’s stats don’t pop off the page in this game. He stopped 16-of-19 (.842 save percentage) to earn his 12th win of the season. It’s not his best statistical performance by any means.
The Rangers didn’t create many chances, but when they did, he stepped up and made the big stops, especially in the third period. Colorado led 3-2 early in the final frame when Alexis Lafreniere got a step on Samuel Girard and came in all alone. Wedgewood made an incredible stop.
Just over a minute later, with the Avs on the power play, the Rangers got a two-on-one. The saucer pass from Vincent Trocheck went perfectly over Makar to J.T. Miller, who whacked it on goal but was stopped by Wedgewood.
Miller had two goals. But that one wasn’t going to beat the goalie.
The Rangers eventually tied it up. But Wedgewood still wasn’t done making big saves. Those are the types of games you want from your goalie. Even when the save percentage doesn’t jump off the page, you want big saves in big moments when the game is within a goal. Wedgewood had that type of night.
Negative: Injury Scare
Losing Brindley to injury, then having a bit of a scare with Makar, is not ideal.
Brindley looked visibly shaken up after taking a hit in the first period. I didn’t see him go down, nor did I see the hit. But he was slow coming up after the hit and went down the tunnel.
Makar’s was a weird few minutes. He blocked a shot early in the third and looked shaken up. But that happens often. It didn’t look, at first, like anything more than a stinger from a blocked shot. He skated to the bench just as the Avs drew a penalty.
Devon Toews started the PP with Makar on the bench. When Toews came back for a change, Makar jumped on, took one stride, and instantly came back off the ice. Brent Burns finished the PP, and Nelson scored shortly thereafter.
It felt like that would be it. But a few shifts later, Makar was back out there and finished the rest of the game, adding an assist and an empty-net goal.
Makar said after the game that it was a charley horse. Still, you don’t want to see the injuries pile up. And you especially don’t want to lose Makar.
