The Avalanche played pretty well for 47 minutes Saturday, which would have been fine if hockey games didn’t last 60 minutes.
They came close but weren’t able to overcome allowing four straight goals in the first period and dropped a 5-3 decision to Toronto at the Pepsi Center, their second loss in a row and third in the past five games.
My NHL.com GAME STORY
But it was a successful homecoming for Tyson Barrie, who had a power-play goal and an assist and looks rejuvenated with new Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.
Barrie, the highest-scoring defenseman in Colorado/Quebec history, lacked confidence and didn’t have a goal in his first 23 games under Mike Babcock, who didn’t even use him on the first power-play unit.
That changed after Keefe replaced Babcock on Wednesday. Barrie scored his first goal the next night in a win against Arizona and looked like his usual self on Saturday with two points and a game-high-matching four shots on goal. “The way I feel about myself right now from a week ago is night and day," Barrie said. "We're tight, we're loving each other out there. It’s a fun group to be part of."
The Avalanche gave him a well-deserved video tribute during an early television timeout in the first period. They later acknowledged Alexander Kerfoot, who was included in the big Barrie/Nazem Kadri July 1 trade, a shorter version.
Kadri, moved from second-line center to left wing with Nathan MacKinnon and Joonas Donskoi for about half the game, had two assists and won 11 of 16 faceoffs.
(Kerfoot will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday. He’s facing possible discipline for boarding Erik Johnson behind the net in the second period. Kerfoot was assessed a minor penalty and Johnson remained in the game.)
A standing ovation at Pepsi Center for Tyson Barrie.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/3IxJ2A8yMJ
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 24, 2019
“He's a great personality, very happy, very funny as well,… Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen said of Barrie, who remains popular as ever in Colorado. “Fits really good in this locker room. You saw how happy guys on the bench were when he scored the other night and (Saturday) was a huge goal for us.…
A couple positives for the Avalanche:
* Pavel Francouz, in his first game since sustaining a head injury Nov. 12 in Winnipeg, stopped all 12 shots he faced after relieving Philipp Grubauer (four goals, 15 shots) to begin the second period.
* Valeri Nichushkin scored a third-period goal to pull the Avalanche within 4-3. It was his first goal in 92 games, since he scored for Dallas against New Jersey on March 4, 2016.
“To see Val, if you saw the video of our bench, all the guys went crazy,… coach Jared Bednar said. “It was a big goal for us, obviously, but also just to see him get rewarded for some of his hard work. It was a great hard-working shift. We were jumping on rebounds and finally he got one on his stick. Hopefully he can continue that.…
The Avalanche also did an excellent job on HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT
They assigned forward A.J. Greer to the Colorado Eagles and recalled defenseman Calle Rosen, who was acquired with Kadri from Toronto.