Mile High Sticking
Fansided

Colorado Avalanche freeze the Devils

By German Gude

Nov 7, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Erik Haula (56) controls the puck ahead of Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) in the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Erik Haula (56) controls the puck ahead of Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) in the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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The homecoming for the Colorado Avalanche could not have gone any better!

After the disaster in the desert, the Avs really needed to get the fire back up, and it seems they knew there was no better scenario to do so than a Ball Arena absolutely packed with #AvsFaithful on a Tuesday night.

The match against the NJ Devils was definitely on to a hot start, in more ways than one. There was a lot of intensity on the ice, tough, man-to-man hockey at its best; we witnessed shots on goal, good saves and hits, lots of hits going on the ice. It became clear these teams do not like each other at all, and soon penalties were being dealt all around the ice. The Devils were the first to get in the bad-boy’s box, twice actually during the first period, which ended in a 1-1 tie, but no one was prepared for what the second period would bring.

All hell breaks loose

During the second period, intensity kept on rising and an amazing nine penalties were sanctioned by the officials. Personally I do not recall a period with that many penalties in a recent time; the Avalanche ended up with 21 total penalty minutes during the game (that is a whole period of hockey playing short-handed by the way). Nonetheless, the second period still ended in a 3-3 tie, so everything remained to be decided yet, despite the never-ending penalties. Ross Colton received a special MVP for penalties in this match, boarding, cross-checking and game misconduct lighten up the resume of this hockey angel.

Pour some ice and let it rest

For the last period, both teams seemed more calm and centered, but the Avs got the best of the intermission, and, clearly, Coach Bednar approached the group during the break and managed to keep them focused on what really mattered: scoring goals. And boy, they did! The Colorado Avalanche unleashed all the offensive power we know and scored three more goals in the last period to finally put this game to rest at a comfortable 6-3 win for the locals.

Aftermath

It is clear that the Colorado Avalanche got their mojo back, both in offense as well as in defense. Georgiev was in great form as well, but, it is clear that the team needs to work on how they handle their emotions on the ice. As we all know, this is the start of the season, but these discipline issues can not be carried on through the next months, so, it is the right time for coach Bednar to sit down and talk to the team about this; most importantly, avoid committing the same mistakes in the next match against an always difficult Kraken in a rematch of the last playoff elimination by the Avs.

The betting slip

If you followed my previous article and decided to tail on the betting props included in it… Congratulations! You and I both are winners! We made it 3/3 succesfully in all bets. Now it’s time to see if we can keep the momentum going for the next match against the Kraken. Here are my suggestions:

  • Avalanche ML (-210)
  • 7 goals or less (-170)
  • Cale Makar to score 2+ points (+150)

* Odds adjusted to Bet365 markets.

I’ll meet you at the bank to cash out!

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