The Colorado Avalanche has strung together its first winning streak of the season. With Matt Duchene’s late third period goal, the Avs defeated the Devils 3-2. The teams were tied at 1 going into the final frame but the Devils scored before the Avs (6-8-5) eventually tied and won the game before the final buzzer.
The line of Gabriel Landeskog, John Mitchell, and Jarome Iginla came to life early and were all involved in the first goal for the Avs. Duchene’s game-winner came after defenseman Erik Johnson squeaked the puck past Cory Schneider from a tough angle.
His goal was crucial for the Avs to come away with a victory. But even more important was his effectiveness in the defensive zone and the confidence the coaching staff has instilled in the 26-year-old veteran.
“I’m better when I play more, I’m into the game more. After last season Patrick and Andre (our defensive coach) wanted me to get into a little bit different kind of shape,” Johnson told Peter McNabb of Altitude TV. “They wanted me to be ready to play more minutes and handle a little bit of a heavier load. I trimmed down some weight and I just feel a lot better on the ice.”
Johnson played a game-high 30:25 in a game that didn’t go past regulation. He finished with a +2 rating and two shots on goal.
The Avs gave up the first goal just over two minutes into the game. Varlamov made the initial save but a rebound was sent right to the stick of Marty Havlat who buried it past the netminder to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Colorado didn’t take long to answer back.
Mitchell finished up a great shift from his two power-forward wingers six minutes later to tie the game at 1. The teams would remain deadlocked throughout the rest of the period and the entire third period.
The Devils second goal, early in the third period, came off of the stick of Eric Gelinas. His shot, which came after a clean faceoff win, seemed to have eyes. The shot found its way through numerous bodies—including the linesman—and beat Varlamov up high past his glove.
Rather than letting it bring them down, the Avs used that goal to continue to press until Johnson’s eventual game-tying goal. It was the type of goal that could knock a team out of a bad stretch of hockey.
“We weren’t happy after the Islander game. I’m sure nobody was,” Johnson said. “After that one we had to do a little bit of gut checking and put two in a row here to turn it into a decent road trip.”
Duchene’s game-winning goal was assisted by defenseman Tyson Barrie and Tanguay. Barrie’s helper was his team leading 12th of the season.
The goal and the play of Johnson was well received by the head coach. Roy says that Johnson has been one of the better players all year for this Avs team. And the goal he scored tonight was more than just luck.
“He came down the wing and sometimes you just put pucks on net and good things happen,” Roy told reporters.
The Avs have now strung together their first winning streak of the season. It came after their 19th game, but it’s something that has instilled a lot of confidence in the squad. Roy credits this to the teams compete level during practice.
“Our guys are competing really well in our practice,” Roy said. “That’s the thing we’ve been doing a lot—1-on-1s, 2-on-2s—when you start doing good in these battles obviously it brings a lot of confidence as well.”
The Avs will fly home to Denver tonight and will have four days off before taking the ice for their next game. They host the Washington Capitals at the Pepsi Center next Thursday to kick off a two-game home stand. Puck Drop is scheduled for 7 p.m MT.
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