Avalanche Game 5 Recap: Goals, Goals, Goals

Every team has to face that one tough test at some point in the NHL season. For the Colorado Avalanche, that test came in the form of the Carolina Hurricanes. The biggest talk in this young season is that these two teams are the most favored to win the Stanley Cup this year. Basically, the court of public opinion is saying that this is a preview of this year's Stanley Cup Final. If this is what we will get in June, I say bring it on!

The game was hotly contested from the moment the puck was dropped. The first power play of the game went to the Hurricanes, and then Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Carolina's big money man) scored 16:09 into the opening frame. The goal was scored as Nathan MacKinnon was on his way out of the penalty box, so it was--technically--an even strength goal, meaning that the Colorado PK was still perfect. The Avs went on the power play very late in the first, and with just seconds left, MacKinnon shoots it, Ryan Johansen deflects it, and in the words of Conor McGahey, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, this is a tie hockey game!"

1-1 was the score after 20, and the mayhem commenced in the 2nd period. First off, the Canes went on the power play again, and during that PP, Logan O'Connor gets the puck, and...oops! He did it again! A shorthanded goal, his third shortie of the season; all three goals he's scored this year have been shorties, and they've come in as many games. Avs killed off the rest of it, but they would be back on the PK again. This time, Brent Burns, the veteran defenseman, ties it up, the first power play goal surrendered by the Colorado PK this season. 85 seconds later, Michael Bunting gave Carolina the lead back, and for the first time all season, Alexandar Georgiev is being tested. Not surprised by this, this is Carolina, one of the best teams in the league. However, even one of the best teams can be broken.

Less than two minutes after that goal, Frederik Olofsson tied the game at three, but the Avalanche weren't even close to being done. 109 seconds later, Artturi Lehkonen scored on the power play, and that was followed by MacKinnon scoring 107 seconds after that, and then Mikko Rantanen put one in during the frame's final minutes. The score was 6-3 after 40 minutes, with the Avalanche scoring five goals in the 2nd period. The third period was quiet, except for two power plays (one from each team), and a goal from Jaccob Slavin. The Canes pulled the goalie, nothing came of it from both sides, and the Avalanche went on to win 6-4.

Artturi Lehkonen. God, I love this guy. When I heard that the Avalanche traded for Lehkonen during that 2022 deadline, I was so excited. At the time, he was coming off being part of that long run with the Canadiens, which saw him score that series clinching OT goal in the Cup Semifinal. Lehkonen would become a key part in that 2022 championship; for one, he did that whole "score in OT to send a team to the Cup Final" thing again, and his goal in Game Six of the Final clinched the Cup. Lehkonen had 28 goals last season, the first year of his eight-year deal with the Avs, and he is still earning that payday, racking up four points in this game.

The Avalanche are 5-0 to start the season! We are one win away from matching our best start since the move, and two wins away from our best start overall. This game was wild. Georgiev was tested, the PK finally surrendered one, and Slavin's goal was the first 3rd period goal surrendered by the Avs, but even so, the Avalanche prevailed. The two game homestand is done, and the Avs will go on a three game road trip, which starts with a meeting with the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

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