Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored at 8:31 into overtime to give the Avalanche a 2-1 victory over Nashville late Thursday in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series at Ball Arena.
The Avalanche, who now lead the first-round series 2-0, dominated the flow of the game, outshooting Nashville 42-20 in regulation. The visitors blocked 28 shots to Colorado’s eight shots, however.
And Nashville goalie Connor Ingram was spectacular, time and again turning away the Avs. He had 41 consecutive saves heading into overtime and finished with 48.
Colorado thought it scored a second goal near the end of the second period. With the game 1-1, the Avs put a puck behind Ingram with 4.8 seconds remaining. But the referee behind the net immediately waved it off because of goaltender interference. Colorado forward Artturi Lehkonen did make contact with Ingram before the goal, but then he was pushed into the goalie by Preds defenseman Dante Fabbro while the puck was still live — before winger Valeri Nichushkin put it in the net.
The Avs challenged the call, but after a brief look it was upheld and they were assessed a delay-of-game minor.
Then, on the opening draw of the third period, Nichushkin was called for high sticking Ryan Johansen to send Nashville on a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:52. Remarkably, Nashville failed to get a shot on goalie Darcy Kuemper but did have one carom off iron beside him.
Colorado outshot Nashville 21-5 in the second period on the strength of three power plays — the only man-advantage situations in the frame until the failed challenge. The Avs’ details were right but the execution was off.
But the penalty kill came through to keep it 1-1 early in the third period. Ingram was awesome the rest of the way, making 13 saves in the third as the Avs assaulted the goal to no avail.
It was 1-1 after an opening period in which Nashville had the edge — primarily because Colorado took the only two penalties of the frame.
Nathan MacKinnon got the game’s first goal, already his fourth point of the series, at 5:25. He took control of a defensive-zone exit from Erik Johnson that skipped off winger Logan O’Connor and displayed his electric speed through the neutral zone and toward the net. From the left circle, he beat Ingram with a wrist shot inside the near-side post.
Colorado defenseman Sam Girard misplayed a puck that led to a 2-on-1 rush and Nashville’s tying goal. Girard went to a knee to smother a bouncing puck in the neutral zone and it skipped past him. Preds forward Yakov Trenin collected it and blistered a shot past Kuemper.
Game 3 is Saturday afternoon in Nashville.
Footnotes. Kuemper was celebrating his 32nd birthday. … MacKinnon reached 70 playoff points in just 51 games, the fifth quickest in NHL history behind Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky (29), Mario Lemieux (36), Jari Kurri (49) and Joe Sakic (50). … Colorado’s lone injury is to forward Andrew Cogliano, who went down in Game 1 after scoring a shorthanded goal for a 3-0 lead. … The Avs’ healthy scratches were forward Alex Newhook and defensemen Jack Johnson, Kurtis MacDermid and Ryan Murray. MacDermid, a heavyweight enforcer who can also play forward, took warmup. … The Preds scratched forward Philip Tomasino and defenseman Matt Benning, two regulars who played in Game 1. … Colorado is 17-6 in a series when winning Game 1. … Avalanche 2021 first-round draft pick Oskar Olausson watched the game from the press box. The Swedish forward was assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles but didn’t play in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday and will not play in Game 2 on Friday.
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