Key Players Return To Avalanche In Loss To Penguins

The Colorado Avalanche came into Pittsburgh winning five of their last six games. This is the first time that both Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby have played each other since the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in June of 2022.

The two are best friends and talked regularly during the finals last year. So now the pressure is off of both of their shoulders and they can concentrate on just playing. Last night also saw the return of two key players in Valeri Nichushkin and Bowen Byram. Both have missed significant amounts of time this season with different injuries.

Impact of Returning Players 

Val Nichushkin

In just 20 games, Nichushkin has eighteen points. He is not only an offensive threat but a defensive one as well. The winger plays much like a defenseman always on the forecheck. He is putting pressure on the other team trying to gather the puck or bring it into the Avalanche zone. During power plays, Nichushkin plays low and down by the net. He will typically lay down a screen, making it difficult for the goalie to see. 

Bo Byram

The young defenseman has only played ten games this year but has been impressive. Byram has just five points in those ten games, but he is shooting at 18.2 percent. He takes the pressure off of all of the other defensemen by eating up ice time as well as puck handling on the blue line. If he can consistently stay healthy, he will be a force to be reckoned with. 

Avalanche Dominance

This was one of the first games that Colorado saw almost a healthy lineup. Byram played for the first time since November 4th (38 games missed) and taking that into consideration, he played exceptionally well. He was shutting down his side of the defense and holding the blue line when they were in Pittsburgh’s zone. In fact, Byram helped on the only Avalanche goal scored by MacKinnon last night. Colorado led the whole game in shots on goal, face-off wins and takeaways. Things fell apart late in the third period as Pavel Francouz tried to poke-check former University of Denver Pioneer, Jason Zucker. He gained his own rebound to pass to an open Evgeni Malkin and then Bryan Rust to tie the game. 

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Scary Moment

Early in the third period, Cale Makar was trying to clear the puck out of the Avalanche defensive zone. He was facing the net getting ready to backhand the puck when Jeff Carter blindsided him in the side of the head. Makar would have to leave the game due to concussion protocol, but would eventually return.  

Jeff Carter catches Cale Makar high with blind side contact, not pretty#GoAvsGo | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/VxvdfeHz90

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) February 8, 2023

Overtime

The Penguins took over during overtime. The Avalanche maintained puck possession throughout the majority of the extra frame but the first Pittsburgh “goal” turned the tide. Kris Letang came in hard for a shot on Francouz’s left side, but he held the puck off the goal line… barely. The goal got reviewed and overturned, and despite an Avalanche power play, the Penguins scored on their own man advantage.

Conclusion

Colorado clearly has an issue finishing a full sixty minutes or more in a game. Every game that they have lost has come late in the game. Coach Jared Bednar has admitted that the team has an issue and needs to work on fixing it. Colorado needs to keep the same pace that they start the game with through all of the third period. That is what won them games last season, and it could win them games now. The power play was also an issue tonight, as Pittsburgh committed four infractions and Colorado did not convert on any of them. There will be a period that the Avalanche will have to adjust to having a somewhat “healthy” lineup, but this late in the season that adjustment will have to be quick.