The Colorado Avalanche absolutely annihilated the Calgary Flames Monday night, winning 6-2, while outshooting the Flames 56(!) to 29.
The Colorado Avalanche outshot the Flames 56-29 and to be completely honest, it seemed as if the Avalanche outshot them 80-10. Monday night was the greatest game the Avalanche have played all season, and it wasn’t even close.
If it wasn’t for Mike Smith, the Flames goaltender, the Avs could have easily scored 10 goals. I’m glad they didn’t. The Avs need to save some for Game 4 Wednesday night, and the rest of the series.
What should the Avalanche change?
Nothing.
Well, actually one thing. Hopefully Samuel Girard is back in the lineup replacing Patrik Nemeth.
Why Nemeth?
Because, Cale Makar is going nowhere.
Makar proved last night, not only by scoring his first career NHL goal in the first period, which was electric by the way, but by his calm demeanor and his excellent skating abilities.
I thought his best play last night was the one that prevented the worst possible outcome in his first NHL game.
There was a time in the game last night where the puck ate Makar up behind the net and almost sneaked by Grubauer. How bad would that’ve been? We’ll never know because Makar was cooler than the other side of the pillow as the late, great Stuart Scott would say, and calmly retrieved the puck as if nothing ever happened.
The Avalanche are eventually going to have to use him more and dare I say it, throw him even further into the fire. I felt as if the Avalanche were a little tentative with him last night, but everything worked out fine.
Top Performers
Aside form Makar, there were a ton of other notable performances that need to repeat themselves throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Nathan Mackinnon needs to be Nathan Mackinnon.
As I’ve said before, and I’ll say a million more times, Nathan Mackinnon is the BEST player in the world.
Mikko Rantanen scored his first of many career playoff goals.
Tyson Jost was surely flying out there on the ice, and was a hooking call away from an incredible highlight-reel goal.
My Love/Hate relationship with Ian Cole is back on the Love side after what I thought was his best performance of the season.
As always, Phillip Grubauer was incredible and calm in the net, allowing two redirected goals off of 29 shots and kept the Avalanche in the lead from puck drop.
The Colorado Avalanche will look to repeat all of these performances in Game 4, Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center.