It didn't matter if a meteor was going to strike Pepsi Center, nothing was going to keep the Avs from redemption versus the Calgary Flames.
Having not beaten the Flames since Oct. 28, 2010, the Avs were looking for some serious redemption. Redemption they got with a 2-1 overtime victory, against all odds.
Erik Johnson was a late scratch with back spasms and Tyson Barrie was put into the lineup, Matt Stajan scored early in the game and the refs weren't being friendly. No matter what, the Avs were going to win.
Already the least-penalized club in the NHL, the Avs went without a powerplay for the sixth game despite leading scorer Mark Giordano trying to make Ryan O'Reilly inhale his stick, drawing enough blood to make the refs call in the Wolf to clean it up.
It was clear, if the Avs wanted to win this, they were going to have to do it themselves. they wouldn't get help from the refs and definitely not from Miikka Kiprusoff.
Kiprusoff was solid on the game with 31 saves where the only two shots that beat him. Paul Stastny scored on a tip that somehow missed him. He was standing right in the line of fire but still the puck missed him. Then David Jones bounced a puck off Kiprusoff and into the net.
Stastny moved through two Flames defenders as though he was looking for his gold watch, put a shot on net which Jones took behind the net and put it off Kiprusoff and into the net.
Semyon Varlamov matched him on the other end. Varlamov struggled at the beginning of the year but he's got his own redemption story going on right now. Varlamov stopped 31 shots and was just a little Fonzie in net. No matter what happened, what the Flames did, he was cool.
It was a true story of redemption. It wasn't quick, wasn't easy but at the end of the night, the Avs got a golden prize of two points and the seventh seed in the playoffs.
Three Stars
1. Semyon Varlamov- 31 saves in the win
2. Miika Kiprusoff- 31 saves in the loss
3. Paul Stastny- two point night for Stastny. His line was the best all night
Facepalm of the Game
There are two, one that is so horrible it's hard to post. The ref missing the high stick on O'Reilly that drew blood, automatic four minute powerplay, with 3:30 left in the game. Seriously, if you're cleaning up blood off the ice, you missed a call.
The second, is even more egregious. A certain famous quarterback signed in Denver to play with the Broncos today and one fan, whose obviously a "Die-Hard Avs fan" who lives and breathes with his team, did this:
There are no words but Facepalm. Double Facepalm. I need a third hand for this Facepalm.
Bang Bang Play of the Game
Hunwick to Stastny to Jones. OT win. Bang-bang game over.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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