It took overtime but the Colorado Avalanche topped the Washington Capitals for their second straight win. That might not be all that big of a deal when looking at the season as a whole, but it had to feel particularly good for an Avalanche team that has been slumping of late.
The Avalanche wasted little time in exacting their vengeance on a Pittsburgh Penguins team that throttled them back on Mar. 16. The Avalanche jumped out to a 4-1 first period lead and never looked back, winning 6-2 on the road.
The Reinforcements Have Arrived
This has already been an important week for the Colorado Avalanche. Extending their winning streak against the Capitals was nice, but it has been the slew of returns that have really galvanized this group and made them even more dangerous.
Gabriel Landeskog returned from a horrific injury to give the Avalanche more strength in their top six. Against the Penguins, Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor returned, making the already deep Avalanche somehow even more stacked.
O’Connor picked up an assist and Colton scored the empty netter at the end, making an impact right away. The Avalanche, on paper, have zero holes right now. They also have such ridiculous depth that they can move anyone anywhere that suits them. Oh, and Artturi Lehkonen is expected to return sometime in early April.
Malinski Continues to Shine
While Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar get all the love, what makes the Avalanche so dangerous is their depth. They were able to wheel and deal at the deadline because the play of Sam Malinski made Samuel Girard expendable.
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Malinski has continued to shine while playing more than 17 minutes per night. He had a goal on Tuesday night, bringing him within one of his career-high. He also has more assists (27) and points (31) this season than the rest of his career combined.
Malinski is smart, makes quick decisions, and his plus-39 rating illustrates that. The Avalanche locking him down for the foreseeable future at a discount price looks better and better with each strong performance he puts out.
Wedgewood Excellent Again
If there had been any lingering debate about who the Game 1 starter should be for the Avalanche, another strong start from Scott Wedgewood should have put that to rest. He was outstanding once again, turning aside 30 of 32 Penguins shots.
Wedgewood has made outstanding saves look routine, like his sprawling blocker save that should make highlight reels. He looks calm, cool, and almost effortless at times. Mackenzie Blackwood has been strong but doesn’t have the sense of certainty to his game that Wedgewood has had this season.
It is a great story seeing the career backup explode to become a Bonafide Vezina Trophy candidate. His 26-5-6 record is ridiculous and both his 2.19 goals against average and .916 save percentage will be far and away career-highs given how many games he has started. He has been a stud from the start of the season and continues to get stronger.
Avalanche Building Momentum
The Avalanche have now run their winning streak up to three games. The Dallas Stars have slowed, and the Avalanche now have a seven-point lead on them with a game in hand and just a dozen games to go (11 for the Stars).
Most importantly, the Avalanche are gaining steam and getting healthy. The playoffs are about peaking at the right time, and the Avalanche machine feels like it is just getting warmed up as we head into the stretch run.
