Georgiev Struggles, Rantanen Exits In 6-2 Loss To Oilers
Alexandar Georgiev looked like he had turned the corner after the All-Star break for the Avalanche, but his last 81 minutes of hockey won’t fill anyone with confidence just two weeks before the playoffs are set to begin.
Colorado’s goaltender didn’t get much help from his defense, as the Avalanche gave up 47 shots just 24 hours after giving up 46 to the Minnesota Wild. Georgiev made some big saves, especially on the penalty kill, but it’s the ones he gave up in the 6-2 loss to the Oilers that leave you scratching your head. Both of Evander Kane’s goals should never have happened, especially his goal
at the end of the second period, as Georgiev failed to corral an unscreened perimeter shot with less than five seconds remaining. Coming on the heels of a 44 safe performance by Justus Annunen, some fans may be wondering if he should get the call on Sunday night against the Stars.
To make matters worse, the Avalanche lost Mikko Rantanen to injury after taking a big hit from Mattias Ekholm in the second period. After the game, Jared Bednar said Rantanen will be under evaluation “for a while.”
Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton scored the goal for Colorado in the loss.
First Period
Giving up early goals has been an issue for Alexandar Goergiev. That didn’t change on Friday.
Georgiev misplayed a dump-in by the Oilers, giving it right back to them. After making the initial stop, the puck went out to the point. Darnell Nurse’s point shot looked like it was going well wide, but Corey Perry deflected it back towards the net, beating the Avalanche goaltender and making it 1-0. Not a bad goal to give up by any means, but the turnover is what started it all.
The Avalanche played with fire in period one, taking two straight penalties, but were able to slow down the deadly Oilers powerplay, keeping it a one goal game. That allowed them to get the next one, as Jonathan Drouin stayed hot, beating Skinner from the slot with a one-timer.
Colorado got the next powerplay, and usually that means two full minutes of the top unit. Not this time, and the second unit took advantage of actually getting on the ice. Ross Colton made a great play to beat Ekholm along the boards. Artturi Lehkonen cut to the net, creating a bit of a diversion, allowing Colton to cut around Henrique and beat Skinner. Despite getting outshot, Colorado had the lead, but not for long.
A point shot from Ekholm went behind the net to Connor McDavid, who is dangerous no matter where he is. McDavid quickly tried to wrap it around, but didn’t seem to get everything on it. That didn’t matter, because it either went off Georgiev or Toews and into the net, tying the game up at two with under three minutes remaining. A lead going into the intermission would have been nice for Colorado after killing off a few penalties, but it wasn’t meant to be.
