The Colorado Avalanche won a playoff-style game against the Detroit Red Wings reminiscent of the old rivalry games in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Interestingly enough, the main reason why the Avalanche got the win was Alexandar Georgiev’s gem of a performance. For us covering the Avs, it’s been a long time coming to write something like this about Georgiev.
This season has been such a struggle for the Avs netminder, that it’s hard to tell which Georgiev will show up every night.
However, the Avs trade of Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators signaled that Georgiev was the guy for the Colorado Avalanche. After a shaky outing against the Buffalo Sabres, Georgiev returned with a fantastic showing.
Beyond Georgiev’s strong showing, the Avs played a strong defensive game. Now, this point is crucial as the Red Wings were determined to win the game. There were stretches of the game in which the Wings dominated. Fortunately, the Avs held the fort down.
This strong defensive showing is a significant step in the right direction, as winning on a night when the offense didn’t blow up the score is highly encouraging.
With the win, the Avs are now in sole possession of fourth in the Central Division. They’re two points up on the St. Louis Blues and two points back of the Dallas Stars. That puts the Avs in a solid position to move up the standings as December keeps chugging along.
As it stands, the Colorado Avalanche are one point out of a wildcard spot. That situation is certainly encouraging when taking the dreadful start to this season and injuries into account.
Ross Colton returns to Colorado Avalanche lineup
Saturday night’s game also marked the return of Ross Colton to the Colorado Avalanche lineup. Colton had been out with a broken foot since last playing on October 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Overall, Colton’s return was a little bit ahead of schedule, providing the Avs with a welcome boost.
Colton mainly played on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin. The line worked well, with Nichushkin scoring the game’s first goal. Mittelstadt and Sam Girard got assists on the goal.
While Colton’s return was significant, the Avs are still not out of the injury gauntlet. Miles Wood has now been placed on LTIR with an upper-body injury. Jonathan Drouin is still considered week-to-week, with Josh Manson potentially returning at some point within the next week.
The Avs have done a wonderful job of weathering the injury storm this season. Nevertheless, the club may want to look at finding additional depth at forward and defense as injuries continue to pile up. With the trade market beginning to heat up, the Avs could find some reasonably priced depth options.