So the Avalanche score four consecutive goals to grab a 4-2 lead late in the third period Saturday against the free-falling Anaheim Ducks, only to blow it on the way to a 5-4 overtime loss.
Andre Burakovsky takes a high sticking penalty with 4:18 remaining in the third period and old friend Kevin Shattenkirk scores the tying goal on the ensuing power play.
Here’s my NHL.com GAME RECAP.
Mikko Rantanen, who had two goals, takes a tripping penalty 51 seconds into overtime and Ryan Getzlaf scores the winner on the 4-on-3 power play.
Another poor start didn’t help; they fell behind 2-0 for the second game in a row, but backup Hunter Miska wasn’t good enough down the stretch.
“I thought he was having a decent game, but when the heat got turned up and we needed a save, we didn’t get it,… coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s a team game and we didn’t play in the first period, got better, played great in the second and got the lead we needed to win the hockey game and came up short. We could’ve used a save on one of those two at the end.…
The Avalanche got a point and are 4-1-1 in the past six games, but the backup goalie situation is definitely worrisome.
The Avalanche took penalties at the worst possible times -- their only penalties in the game -- and they couldn’t kill them off, but Miska has to be better. He has a 3.50 goals-against average in four starts (1-1-2) with an .865 save percentage.
Philipp Grubauer has started 18 of the first 22 games, the schedule is more compacted than ever, and there’s no reason to think Pavel Francouz will be coming back anytime soon as he remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Meantime, Ryan Miller, 40, made some spectacular saves in the third period to keep the Ducks in the game on the way to his 389th NHL win to tie Dominik Hasek for 14th place in league history.
Just a thought: the Ducks are going nowhere, Miller is making $1 million and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Have to think a guy who’s been through the wars would be available to help lessen the load on Grubauer since Miska just isn’t the answer. **********
The injuries continue to pile up as J.T. Compher didn’t play Saturday because of an upper-body injury. Bednar scrambled the lines again as Nathan MacKinnon missed his second straight game with a head injury.
Bednar said after the game that MacKinnon was feeling better and could skate Sunday -- the Avalanche didn’t practice – but as of the afternoon I hadn’t gotten word back whether he did.
Jayson Megna took Compher’s spot on the third line and Bednar eventually put Rantanen at center with Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin; the trio looked really good and we might see it again Monday against Arizona.
“I liked them a lot,… Bednar said. “Mikko has a history going way back of playing some center, so I was using him the middle. Landy was taking draws on the left because he does even with (MacKinnon) and Mikko. I wanted to give Mikko a look at center, just gave us a little bit of depth on our forward lines.…
Oh, Erik Johnson was placed on long term injured reserve. He's been sidelined since sustaining an upper-body injury Jan. 30 against Minnesota