When the Colorado Avalanche sent a first round draft pick to Washington for Semyon Varlamov, it was with the hopes that he would become next franchise goaltender for them.
Against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he was that and more as he turned away all 33 shots he faced to power the Avs to a 4-0 victory that was closer than it looked.
Matt Duchene was the best player on the ice for the second game in a row. Duchene started the game with a bang, nabbing a goal and a remarkable assist to push the Avs to a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Less than a minute into the first period, Duchene took a Jan Hejda pass into the high slot, drawing four Blue Jacket defenders to him. Before they could close, Duchene slipped a pass through the defenders to a waiting P.A. Parenteau who one-timed it by goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Later in the period, Duchene would come onto the ice replacing Mark Olver, skate into the slot and put back a Milan Hejduk rebound for a cozy 2-0 lead in the first period.
Once Columbus figured out that they could not keep up with the Avs' speed, they turned the game into a slow, grind-it-out game, using their size gave them the advantage.
In many ways, John Mitchell's face said what kind of the game it was: gritty, painful, nasty at times with a few smiles mixed in. After taking a slapshot to the face early in the first period, Mitchell spent the rest of the game with his forehead sewn up, bandages on his nose and his nostril plugged up. That wouldn't keep him out of the game- he's a hockey player after all- nor would it stop him from sniping Bobrovsky in the third to increase the lead to three goals.
In the second period, the story was Varlamov. The Avalanche were pushed onto their heels in the second, outshot 12-6 and took six penalties in the period. Columbus pushed the Avs around in the second period and nearly cut the in half a number of times if not for the stellar play in net by Varlamov.
Just like the first period against the Los Angeles Kings, the Avs were on their heels trying to survive an offensive onslaught. Both times, when the Avs fell, Varlamov stood tall to keep the Avs in the game.
Duchene iced the game late, dangling around Nikita Nikitin and scoring five-hole to seal up the game 4-0.
The Avs now hit the road for a tough four game road trip visiting the San Jose Sharks and three divisional rivals in what will be a big test for them early in the condensed season.
Three Stars
1. Semyon Varlamov- 33 save shutout
2. Matt Duchene- two goals and an assist, was their best skater
3. John Mitchell- Scored a goal after taking a puck to the face
Facepalm of the Game
The second period parade to the penalty box nearly got the Avs in trouble. If not for Varlamov, the game could have been tied or worse heading into the third.
Bang Bang Play of the Game
Duchene's dangle should be featured in a Top 10 goals of the week.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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