Colorado Avalanche Come From Behind Beat Dallas
The Colorado Avalanche won their fourth straight game on Saturday night and moved to 6-0-1 over their last seven. They have 30 points and are tied for second in the West.
We looked somewhat in-depth at what Colorado has done to rebound from their mini-slump recently and it dovetails nicely into something we’ve been saying all season. The first line can’t do all the scoring and the goalie can’t be all the defense. That’s the short version.
What we’ve seen over this seven game stretch is precisely what we’ve asked for, scoring from the other lines and great defensive effort in front of Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer.
From the front lines, how nice to have J.T. Compher with fresh legs, back in the lineup after missing 16 with a head injury. Compher has roared back into the lineup, notching three goals in two games since his return. More amazing, two of those goals were shorties and on the same kill. Something I’ve never seen and couldn’t find support for whether it’s ever happened before.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar rode the hot Compher in the late third period on Saturday, matching him with Alexander Kerfoot and Tyson Jost. The line paid off with Compher burying a rebound to Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin‘s left after a mad scramble in the Dallas zone to tie the game at two.
Nathan MacKinnon had pushed the Avs out front with a second-period goal, his fifteenth.
Just 46 seconds after Compher’s goal, Erik Johnson let loose a wrister from between the circles that Khubodin stopped but let the rebound fall right onto Mikko Rantanen‘s backhand which he buried for the gamewinner. Five points for the top line, two for Rantanen who still leads the NHL in points and is starting to generate some Ross (MVP) buzz.
The Avs had a five minute lapse in the third that allowed Dallas to take a 2-1 lead on goals from Radek Faksa and Jamie Benn but the resilient Avs battled back with the two late goals.
Like the Nuggets and Broncos, the Avalanche seem to have settled into a nice rhythm. They sit just four games behind the Nashville Predators for the top spot in the division and conference. They are on the verge of being the best team in hockey.
light. Related Story. How They're Doing It
There’s so much to keep up with these days in Colorado, don’t sleep on these Avs, they might just be the best game in town.