Takeaways: Avalanche Escape Predators 7-4, Clinch Playoff Berth

A chaotic Saturday matinee game saw the Colorado Avalanche once again mounting a large comeback. Down 4-2 in the second, head coach Jared Bednar gave his starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev the hook for rookie Justus Annunen. Colorado would go on to score five unanswered to complete the win and clinch their ticket to The Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here are the key takeaways from the Saturday barn burner:

Hart and Soul

The chants of “M-V-P” rained down on Ball Arena Saturday as Nathan MacKinnon elevated his team with a four-point, two-goal performance. Mackinnon now has sole possession of first place in the NHL in points (126) and set a career-high in goals with his 46th and 47th tallies. In a game that wasn’t pretty but had every bit of intensity you can imagine, the Avalanche’s emotional leader led the way and proved once again why the Hart Trophy should belong to MacKinnon this year.

Justus is Served

Just 57 seconds into the second period, Georgiev gave up his fourth goal on only 13 shots and lost his composure. Georgiev had been visibly frustrated since the midway point in the first period when several Predators slammed into him without a call for goaltender interference.

Following the fourth goal conceded, he launched the puck from his net into the stands and was assessed a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Devon Toews looked back with a stern leer, and Bednar had seen enough pulling Georgiev for rookie netminder Justus Annunen. How did the rookie respond coming into a losing game on the penalty kill? He was perfect.

Annunen faced 22 shots and made 22 saves, including six pretty saves on high-danger chances to bail out his team. Per Natural Stat Trick, Annunen faced more shots and more high-danger chances and had a perfect 1.000 save percentage. There might be a goalie controversy brewing in Denver.

Injury Watch

Sean Walker left Saturday’s game in the second period after blocking a hard wrist shot with his side and clutching his ribs down the tunnel. Coach Bednar had no update after the game other than, “The Injury is upper-body- We’re hoping for good news.”

Valeri Nichushkin was again held out of Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury described as “Day-to-Day.” Per Coach Bednar, Nichushkin will continue to skate in Colorado, with the hope that he can meet the team on the upcoming road trip.

Looking Ahead

The Colorado Avalanche take to the road for the next three matches, starting Monday, April 1 in Columbus to face The Blue Jackets (23-38-12). Puck drop will be at 5:00 p.m. MT.

Highlights