The Avalanche haven’t had many low-scoring games this season. And usually when they do, they win.
The Anaheim Ducks nearly blanked the Avs for the first time this season. Instead, a late tally from Artturi Lehkonen ended the shutout bid for Lukas Dostal with just 3:39 remaining in regulation.
In the following 8:39, which included overtime, Dostal saw eight more shots come his way, and stopped every single one.
Colorado outshot the road team 41-17 but only had one goal. That’s the type of goaltending it often takes to shut Jared Bednar’s club down like this.
READ MORE: Postgame Wrap: Avalanche Put 41 Shots on Dostal, Fall 2-1 in Shootout
5 Takeaways
1. Prior to Wednesday night, the Avs have scored fewer than three goals only twice at Ball Arena, and both came against the Utah Mammoth. What’s even more impressive, they won both games in regulation.
On Oct. 9, Colorado defeated Utah 2-1 in its home opener. On Dec. 23, the Avs shut them out 1-0.
This was the third time they had fewer than three goals at home, and the first one that resulted in a loss.
2. It’s also just the fourth time in 48 games this season that the Avalanche have scored fewer than two goals. In the previous three, they scored one each time and have yet to be shut out. In two of those games, they won 1-0.
The only loss with fewer than two goals before tonight was a 2-1 final score against the Florida Panthers. That was the night Gabe Landeskog got injured.
Colorado is 2-1-1 in games with fewer than two goals.
3. Is there a more snakebit player than Ross Colton? He led the team with five shots, and at least three of them were golden opportunities. You can see him looking up to the sky in frustration every time Lukas Dostal robbed him of a goal.
4. Victor Olofsson getting a look on the top line, to me, was a wakeup call for Colton. The Avs have used Colton in that spot before and he’s thrived. But he hadn’t been himself lately. Against the Ducks, he looked dangerous, but couldn’t capitalize. I wonder if he gets shifted to the top line on Friday.
5. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a superstar player as iresonsible in 3-on-3 overtime as Nathan MacKinnon. It’s hard to complain about anything he does on the ice, but his decisions with the puck have reached a level where you need to look at giving him shorter shifts and fewer looks.
