Colorado Avalanche rookie center Alexander Kerfoot had very good luck against the St. Louis Blues in their last meeting.
The Colorado Avalanche are heading to Scottrade Arena to face the St. Louis Blues tonight. Last time the two teams met, Colorado lost 4-3. Naturally, we’re hoping for a better outcome tonight.
Lost in that previous narrative, though, is the fact that Alexander Kerfoot got two goals against the Blues. Any time a player gets two goal in an NHL game, it’s something to celebrate. I mean, if he scores them for your team — it’s not so much fun celebrating watching, say, Nick Leddy score against you after you just traded one of your best players mid-game. But when it’s your guy, and there’s no mid-game trade, it’s loads of fun.
What makes Alexander Kerfoot’s two goals especially notable is that he’s a rookie, and not an Auston Matthews or even Mikko Rantanen caliber rookie. He was a fifth-rounder.
And the two goals happened just eight games into his NHL career.
The first goal came in the first period. Colorado was on the power play thanks to another Alex, this one Pietrangelo, tripping the above-mentioned Rantanen. Kerfoot was part of the second power play unit.
Fellow rookie J.T. Compher takes the initial shot. Blues goalie Carter Hutton makes the save but gives up a rebound. Kerfoot was already making it a habit to drive the net, so he’s in a perfect position to flip the puck over Hutton’s pad:
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While this was technically Kerfoot’s second NHL goal, it’s the first he made on purpose — his first NHL goal was a deflection off his butt. Compher and Rantanen got assists on the Blues goal.
The second goal came late in the third period with the Avalanche trailing 4-2. Matt Duchene dumps the puck in, and Kerfoot once again drives the net. The puck bounces off the end boards, which fools Hutton. Too bad — as Hutton swings around behind the net to find the puck he failed to play,
he spies a charging Kerfoot:
Hutton dives across the crease, and a Blues skater also attempts to make a dive-save, but Kerfoot backhands the puck right into the net. It’s actually a really funny goal.
Unfortunately, that was the Avalanche’s last goal, and it only brought the score up to 4-3. However, it’s interesting to note that Alexander Kerfoot got a secondary assist on the only other goal, scored by Blake Comeau:
This is the only way Kerfoot’s second tally could be overturned as funniest of the game. Hutton is inadvertently tackled by his teammate, and they get tangled so neither can get up! Comeau has a completely empty net to toss the puck into.
Lost in the hilarity is that it’s Kerfoot who got the puck to Wilson, who dished it to a very impatient Comeau.
Next: Avs Will Show Mettle in St. Louis
Hopefully Kerfoot can have similar luck tonight against St. Louis. Then we can take to calling him the Blues Killer.