Avalanche let Game 2 slip in OT scorefest
Colorado let Game 2 slip in San Jose, but stole home ice from the playoff-challenged Sharks
- Image by pointnshoot via Flickr
The Colorado Avalanche were 0:32 away from taking a 2-0 series lead back to Denver when San Jose’s Joe Pavelski tied the game at 5. Devin Setoguchi would give the Sharks their first lead of the night with the Overtime winner 5:22 into the extra period.
Everything that happened before that game-tying goal late, late, late in the 3rd Period defied any kind of hockey sense.
The San Jose Sharks, masters of defense in the regular season, allowed 5 Avalanche goals on 22 shots. The Colorado Avalanche, whose young forwards struggled for much of the year in their own end, fought back the rolling tide of big, physical Sharks attackers with a grit and toughness that was shocking given their lack of playoff experience.
Craig Anderson, who was playing in his second postseason tilt, faced 45 shots before San Jose scored that fateful 5th goal. Evgeni Nabokov, who has played in 66 Stanly Cup Playoff games, had a dismal .773 save percentage on the night. As is often the case in the playoffs, the goaltenders reveal the rudiments of the plotline.
Digging deeper, we see an Avalanche squad whose rookies are outplaying the Sharks’ seasoned playoff veterans.
Chris Stewart, who played in only a handful of games last season, netted the first and last goals for the Avalanche. He’s not a rookie by strict definitions, but has played less than a regular season’s worth of games. In the postseason, he’s playing at a championship level. Stewie also scored the game-winner with 49.3 seconds left in Wednesday’s Avalanche win.
True rookie Brandon Yip had a goal and two assists for Colorado, spending much of his ice time banging with the hefty Sharks along the boards. His goal came on a slamming put-back late in a 2nd Period that saw 3 tallies for each team. Fellow rookie Matty Duchene had assists on consecutive goals in that period, his second the only helper on Yip’s score.
Rookie TJ Galiardi pestered San Jose all night long through 22:44 of ice time. Galiardi was the biggest player on the ice Friday night, his physical presence often the only thing stopping San Jose from skating freely in the Avalanche zone. TJ was the thorn in the Sharks’ side, and his numerous cuts and bruises from the first two games of this series tell the story of a 1st year player getting under the skin of one of the most experienced teams in this league.
There are a lot of ways to look at this loss. Colorado certainly choked up a shoulda-been win in San Jose. This young team finally bent under the constant pressure that these Sharks level against even the best defensive teams.
But the Avalanche matched these Cup-favorites stride-for-stride two games solid.
Colorado took the lead in Game 2 in one of the most hostile environments in hockey, and they didn’t relinquish it until the 66th minute. For a young team that fought injuries all season in one of the toughest division in the league and still made the playoffs, this game was more than a moral victory.
The baby Avalanche grew playoff brass in San Jose, taking the big boys to task and stealing home ice from the playoff-challenged Sharks.
Now the series heads back to Pepsi Center. The house that Joe built. The land of Roy. Peter’s playground. The Can has a history that San Jose can only dream of… Championship history.
And now Colorado has the privilege of watching a new generation of Avalanche take playoff ice in Denver. Can they defend their home rink against the Sharks’ onslaught? Can’t wait to find out.
See a full recap of Game 2 here
