Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues Game Recap

The Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues in a thrilling game that saw them come from a 3-1 deficit to force 3-on-3 OT.

That was the most intense and exciting game I have seen all season from the Colorado Avalanche, grip-the-edge-of-the-seat and dig-fingernails-to-the-skin sort of thing.

When Nathan MacKinnon scored the game-tying goal in the final minute, I skipped around the house like a school girl introduced to recess for the first time.

And, when Jake Allen came out of the net on a gamble and Dr. John Mitchell made him realize he was in the Right Place at the Wrong Time, I about lost all my marbles to the tile.

Sweat flowed through my jersey in this hot Hawaiian climate where I am for my Grandma’s 90th birthday, and I didn’t care to keep the respectable family I am surrounded by from my guttural screams of joy for the Colorado Avalanche.

Wow! That was just a one of a kind contest that no Avalanche fan should have missed, and I must admit that I am jealous of all the Avs faithful who had the pleasure of attending the Center of Pepsi last night.

Let’s break it down like MC Hammer on the cusp of discovering a new groove.

First Period

Well, it started out in fantandy fashion with a beaut of back-hand by Matt Duchene, who sped in unassisted and barely got one over Allen’s glove.

But, the rest of the period went to the sea like a house built on the sand during a hurricane. The Avalanche took a 2-1 deficit into the second period on goals by Vladimir Tarasenko and David Backes.

Tarasenko really is a joy to watch, and when he drove the net hard and beat Francois Beauchemin to positioning, and then beat his fellow Russian comrade, Semyon Varlamov, I had nothing else to do but clap in amazement.

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However, I have a certain circle of personal hell reserved for David Backes after his tirade against Nathan MacKinnon in his rookie year.

So, I was nonplussed about his goal; especially since Paul Stastny gave him the assist from behind the net on the power-play.

That ended the first, and the Colorado Avalanche were certainly outplayed, giving up 17 shots, and only throwing nine toward the net themselves.

Second Period

Can I just vent at the atrocity of hockey existence that is Nate Guenin, I mean seriously? That goal 50 seconds into the second period should have never happened, and would have never happened if a capable NHL defenseman were on the ice.

Nonetheless, we don’t have that luxury with Erik Johnson out — oh wait Brandon Gormley has to be better than Guenin — and instead we have a gold-chain-wearing incapable traffic cone manning the blue.

Just take a look, it has to be shown:

Useless, useless, useless…I only have restraint for such a play when it’s just a momentary lapse of skill, but Nate Guenin is a consistent lack of skill and ability on the ice, and he almost cost the Avs the game with that blunder.

I will not hold back because Patrick Roy needs to figure out what he is doing with Nate Guenin, quickly. Ok, the vents have been released, and my sulfurous breath about him has now subsided.

Luckily, I love Mikhail Grigorenko enough to move on. Yes!!!!!!!!!!! Grigs with a beaut of a goal, and he seemed so stoked about it, check it out folks:

Look at that smile, and he roofed it. I have stood by Grigs all year, and I will continue to do so because I love his play, and I think that he’s ever so close to breaking out in this league and taking it by storm.

Either way, he contributed to the Colorado Avalanche comeback, and he deserves accolades for it.

Third Period

Well that was a fun one to watch. There’s not much to say about it besides the back and forth nature. The Colorado Avalanche were jumping during this period, and were putting the pressure on.

Although, with two minutes left it really looked like they were going to go away pointless.

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However, I prayed and prayed to the hockey gods and even went as far as to create a new symbol of divination around a Quebec Nordiques jersey with the #21 on it in attempt to get a goal for the boys.

For my sake, my superstitious ways came to fruition with a seriously lucky Nathan MacKinnon goal in the final minute and a half.

Overtime

3-3 overtime scares the shivers out of me like a small child afraid of the boogeyman. But hey, as I mentioned earlier, Jake Allen threw his chips in on a gamble and came out with just one point, and it’s all on him.

Wasn’t that fun, fans? I still can’t contain myself, but I write my articles late after the game because they’re due the next morning.

So, I’m still jumping with the fact that the Colorado Avalanche have the chance to tie Nashville in Central Division standings on Friday.

What’s on Tap

You guessed it, the Colorado Avalanche will play the Nashville Predators on Friday for a chance to take over the 5th spot in the Central Division, a task that seemed a far cry away only a month ago.

Puck Drop is at 7:00pm Mountain time. Seth Jones just departed the music city for Columbus, and Ryan Johansen will now be joining Filip Forsberg for a formidable first line scoring threat.

This team has an entirely different complexion now, and I’m sure Johansen will feel much different under the guidance of Peter Laviolette then he did under John Tortorella’s undermining influence.

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So, here we go boys, opportunity strikes like the moment when one realizes that they are no longer bound to the rules their parents set forth. Let’s party!

What do you think Avs fans? What a game! What a game eh? I can’t get over it. Ok, I’m over it, tell me what you think about it. Who struck you as the most prepared player on the ice? What can we expect on Friday? Will the Avs strike gold with a playoff spot? Let us know in the comments!

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