Nelson scores twice, Colorado Avalanche dismantle Ottawa Senators

It was smiles all around for the Colorado Avalanche as the final buzzer sounded on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Avalanche dismantled the Ottawa Senators with a 5-1 pounding.

Brock Nelson scored twice, getting his first two tallies in an Avs jersey. It was great to see Nelson find the back of the net as he got the monkey off his back following his big trade deadline move.

Let’s look at Nelson’s first goal:

The blast from the top of the slot easily beat Linus Ullmark to give the Avs a 2-0 lead in the first period. Sam Malinski deserves a lot of credit on this goal, as he managed to break into the Ottawa zone, make a full stop, and then dish the puck to a streaking Brock Nelson for the goal.

Now, let’s look at Nelson’s second goal:

The redirection on Artturi Lehkonen’s shot gave Nelson a power play goal to make the game 5-0. It’s worth pointing out that the Avs had chased Ullmark after scoring four goals in the first period. Anton Forsberg came in relief, giving up one goal on the night.

Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Joel Kiviranta added the other goals for the Avalanche in what turned out to be an important win, moving the Avalanche two points away from the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division.

Colorado Avalanche dominate Senators on Thursday night

A closer look at the numbers shows just how dominant the Avalanche were on Thursday night in Ottawa.

Firstly, the Avs outshot the Senators 32-16. The Avs kept the Senators to four shots on goal in each of the last two periods, making the night relatively easy for Scott Wedgewood.

Secondly, the Avalanche scored twice on the power play in four chances. The Avalanche are now 10th in the league with a 24.1% power play rate and closing in on the ninth spot.

Lastly, the Avs blocked 20 shots on the night, drastically reducing the number of shots on goal. That’s a key figure often overlooked as blocking shots all but eliminates the opposition’s scoring chances.

As for the eye test, it was evident the Avalanche were in control the entire game. The Avs erupted for four goals in the first, chasing Linus Ullmark.

Then, the Avs took their foot off the gas and cruised to the victory. The win is no less impressive as the Senators are a playoff team at the moment. So, getting such a convincing win, especially on the road, bodes well for the Avs.

Colorado is now 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and looks to be getting hot at the right time. So, it remains to be seen how the final standings play out, determining the final first-round seedings.