Recap: Avalanche help facilitate the Shark tank in 6-0 shutout

1 year ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports


Alexandar Georgiev earned the 13 save shutout. In hopes of getting back on track the Colorado Avalanche hosted the San Jose Sharks. The matchup was just what the doctor ordered as the Avalanche were able execute a dominant win and the Sharks inched closer in the Connor Bedard derby in this 6-0 shutout victory.
The Game
Shooting early and often was the story of the first period, fortunately that led to a trio of goals. First, Cale Makar put the team on the board at 4:08 with a filthy wrist shot from distance. Nathan MacKinnion took that as inspiration and scored his own at 12:51. The final tally in the period came from Mikko Rantanen, who again was angry hit getting boarded with no call while on the power play but stayed on the ice and took a feed from Sam Girard at 17:01 for his 42nd goal of the season. After just 20 minutes it was clear the Avalanche were in the driver’s seat with a 3-0 lead.
With a game so lopsided early on the worry is often too much time left but the Avalanche kept pouring it on in the second frame. Val Nichushkin got a touch on another Makar bomb just 1:22 into the period and then a little over a minute later Denis Malgin got in on the action with a goal of his own. After a couple power plays and some 4-on-4 time Colorado struck again with Makar putting on the moves and setting up Artturi Lehkonen for perhaps the prettiest goal of the evening at 18:44. It was 6-0 in favor of the Avalanche after two periods with a 34-7 shot advantage.

Absolutely nothing of note happened in the third period as both teams were interested in running the clock and getting the game over as quick as possible. Sharks replacement goaltender James Reimer decided to engage with Lars Eller in a puck battle in the corner and got a holding penalty, it was that kind of night for San Jose. And then the game was finally over and Alexandar Georgiev got to celebrate a 13 save shutout in this 6-0 victory.
Takeaways
After the lackluster weekend the big guns needed to have a game like this to get their swagger back. Cale Makar set the tone right away and ended up with a four-point night. So did Val Nichushkin for that matter as he just always makes the team better when he is in the lineup. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were also very effective getting on the board each as well.


Valeri Nichushkin on this being his first four-point game since he was a rookie:"So, like, 10 years? Ten years ago it was, that I had four points. Probably next (four-point) game will be in 10 years again."— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) March 8, 2023



This game kicked off the relatively soft remainder of the schedule for the Avalanche and serves as a reminder that getting up on bad teams early leads to stress-free wins. That’s easier said than done as this team has already lost several games to some of the tankers this season and nothing is guaranteed. But a lot of good habits were seen in this game including not letting up and losing focus, getting all four lines rolling and of course putting the puck in the net. After some poor defensive outings lately getting Georgiev a shutout was nice, too.
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