The Colorado Avalanche’s epic 5-4 comeback win on Tuesday night over the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center confirms the fairly obvious problem plaguing the team this season: Confidence.
Now, let me back up here for a second. When I say “confidence,” I’m not talking about the Avalanche’s lack of faith in their abilities. I’m talking about the lack of confidence the team faces when they know the goaltender doesn’t have it.
That was exactly the case against the Buffalo Sabres. It was evident that Alexandar Georgiev just didn’t have it on Tuesday night. When everything was said and done, Georgiev gave up four goals on eight shots in the first period.
In fact, the Avalanche had to wait for new goaltender Scott Wedgewood to get off the bus to hit the ice midway through the first period. Wedgewood was putting on his pads as the bus drove up to the arena so he could get into the game action.
But as soon as Wedgewood entered the game, it was like a switch had been flipped. Wedgewood shut the door and the Avalanche completed an epic comeback. We could also chalk it up to an epic collapse by the Sabres.
When looking back at the replays, the confidence returning to the team is evident. It was clear the Avalanche felt they didn’t have to walk on eggshells. The team knew Wedgewood had their backs.
Colorado Avalanche ride newfound confidence to score five unanswered goals
A lot is said about confidence in sports. When players’ confidence runs high, it seems like there is no obstacle they can’t overcome. But when confidence sinks, nothing can go right.
Personally, I think the Sabres were guilty of becoming overconfident. They felt that Georgiev needed a red stop sign to keep pucks from going in. They had built a 4-0 lead and thought theycould cruise the rest of the way.
Well, they had something else coming.
But beyond that, the Avalanche rallied around Wedgewood and got to work. The Avalanche overwhelmed the Sabres with Nathan MacKinnon leading the charge. MacKinnon had two goals and an assist in the game to earn the game’s first star.
Meanwhile, the onslaught by Colorado resulted in the team outshooting the Sabres 41-30. The ridiculous 17-7 shot count in the third period tells the entire story.
So, what does this mean moving forward?
It’s too soon to infer that Scott Wedgewood has taken over the starting job. While he has certainly earned another start, coach Jared Bednar will try to keep Georgiev’s head above water as long as possible.
Also, the Avs will need to ride the hot hand. That means that Wedgewood should be the goalie for the foreseeable future. The team believes in Wedgewood as evidenced by their comeback performance.
Interestingly enough, it’s not the first time that Wedgewood has saved a team’s season. He’s got a reputation for being a go-to guy. Seems the Avalanche picked the right goaltender to turn things around.