Avalanche Game 69 Recap: The Moose is Loose

Well, at least I got the title right this time.

Game 68 (not Game 67 as I erroneously called it) saw the Colorado Avalanche win over the Edmonton Oilers in the literal final second of overtime. The Avs are back on American soil, but are still outside the confines of Ball Arena. We are again playing against a team we beat in the 2022 playoffs: the St. Louis Blues. The Blues have been on a bit of a decent roll, but the Avs' roll is just that much bigger.

The goalie matchup was Justus Annunen vs Jordan Binnington; giving Alexandar Georgiev more rest even after a two day break. I like it. Period was clean for the most part, and the Avalanche would score first. Mikko Rantanen made it 1-0 for the Good Guys, with the assists coming from the usual suspects: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. It always feels good to score first, but that feeling went away two minutes later, as Nathan Walker tied it up for St. Louis. Marc Moser (the Avs' PXP announcer) mentioned that no penalties were committed, in the game against the Oilers, each team had one power play. We were just five seconds away from a clean period; Rantanen ended up in the box, giving St. Louis the first power play of the game.

Penalty was killed off, Avs continued to lead in shots, but at 4:44, it was Alexey Toropchenko (I like that surname) making it 2-1 for the Blues. Thankfully, we Avs fans would not have to wait too long for a game-tying goal, as Casey Mittelstadt put it in from Sam Girard and Jonathan Drouin. However, at 8:43, it was Brayden Schenn scoring, so we were down again. Avs needed a power play, and got it when Matthew Kessel (no relation to Phil and Amanda) tripped Ross Colton. Zach Parise's goalie interference made it four-on-four, followed by a Blues PP that was killed off. Avs ended up back on the power play later in the period, and this one cashed in. Mikko Rantanen struck again, and at the end of 40 minutes of play, it was 3-3.

3rd period started quiet, but then, guess who? The Moose struck again! At 4:15, Rantanen completes his seventh career Hat Trick to give the Avs the lead back. Avs had a power play later on, but that turned into a four-on-four...when it should have been a 5-on-3 because Drouin was held. Blues got a mini PP, but that was killed off. The Blues were pressing very late, and then they pulled Binnington. Avs' attempts at the empty net came up short, but we managed to hold on, and by "we," I mean Annunen.

The road trip sweep is complete! Let's take a look at how this went. Blasted the Flames in Calgary, came back from down 3-0 in Vancouver, won in the last second in Edmonton, and then took down the Blues in St. Louis. Mind you, the Avs trailed in all four games, and in two of the last three, we trailed in the third period. Overall, the Avs have won seven straight games, which is the longest current win streak at this point. As it turned out, the Avs needed this win. I entered this day feeling very good, because the Winnipeg Jets were on the road against a real team, the New York Rangers. Yet the Rangers faltered against Winnipeg, so the Avs are still looking up at Peg in the Central.

The Avalanche are now 10 points away from a playoff spot, and we return home on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Before the game started, I read the tragic news that Chris Simon passed away on Monday at the age of 52. Simon was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990, but was traded to the Quebec Nordiques as part of the (in)famous Eric Lindros trade. His debut with the Nords came in the 1992-93 season, and he would play four seasons with the team, including moving with the team to Denver in 1995. Simon was part of the 1996 Stanley Cup run with the Colorado Avalanche; it was his most productive with the team, as he had 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points, along with 250 PIM. Simon was a known enforcer, and I remember watching him with the Calgary Flames during that magical run to the Final in 2004. Simon played 15 seasons in the NHL, and it was followed by five seasons in the KHL, with his overall playing career ending in 2013.

From what I saw, Simon was a hell of a player and quite a memorable force in the NHL. He will be sorely missed for sure.