Avalanche Game 59 Recap: Delay of Game

The Colorado Avalanche were coming off an overtime loss in Detroit against the Red Wings, and now, the team was back at home against another Original Six franchise: the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is the second and last regular season meeting between the two clubs; the first one saw the Leafs go up 3-0 in the first period, but the Avalanche came back and won it. This game aired on NHL Network, but despite the Avs being at home, it was the hallowed Hockey Night in Canada feed. I love Hockey Night in Canada. The first time I watched a HNIC game was in 2005-06, when I had NHL Center Ice. Hockey Night in Canada is a CBC staple during the regular season, airing every Saturday during the season, followed by exclusive playoff coverage from the first puck drop in Round 1, Game 1, to the moment the Stanley Cup is awarded.

As for the goalie matchup, it was Alexandar Georgiev back in net against Ilya Samsonov, and the Avs went on the power play already. Delay of game (remember those words) was the call, and the power play would result in a goal for Artturi Lehkonen. The assists came from Nathan MacKinnon (his 94th) and Cale Makar, the latter ending a long dry spell. The Leafs did try to tie it up, but it would be the Avalanche to scored. Andrew Cogliano made it 2-0, with the assists coming from MacKinnon (his 95th) and Mikko Rantanen. Leafs ended up on the PP for the first time, and it was Tyler Bertuzzi who put the Leafs on the board. Bertuzzi. Oh boy...

Avs led 2-1 after 20, and the second period was quiet, with the exception of Ross Colton thinking he had one, but it never went in. No penalties in that period, though there could have been a few things called on Toronto. Speaking of the Leafs, they did tie it up, and it was Bertuzzi again. Oh boy. Shortly afterwards, Mitch Marner gave Toronto their first lead of the game, and that score held up after 40 minutes. The Avs needed something in the third, and there it was: Rantanen tying it up, with the assists coming from Bowen Byram and--guess who?--MacKinnon (his 96th). Avs dominated the third at first; at some point, the shots were 7-0 in Colorado's favor. It looke like we'd get overtime and then...

Delay of game.

A very iffy delay of game penalty called on Mikko Rantanen. It looked like the Avs would kill that power play, except our clear attempts were absolutely lethargic (seriously, Mel Blanc's sputtering car imitation would have been very appropriate in those situations). Toronto cashes in big time, and as you can tell of the sight of Avs fans showing 20 years worth of nausea, it was Bertuzzi again. Todd's nephew getting a hat trick on our ice. Yikes. Avs got the extra attacker on, but couldn't tie it, and the 4-3 score ended up being final.

A lot of Avs fans were upset over that late penalty, with some calling it "ticky-tack." Even so, this was a heartbreaking loss to a strong franchise. I do take three positive takeaways. First, Cale Makar's points drought is over. Secondly, MacKinnon responded to Nikita Kucherov's three-point game with one of his own, so it's 98-96 in the Art Ross race (the Tampa Bay Lightning play again tomorrow). Third, Auston Matthews has 52 goals this season, but he'll end this season failing to score against the Avs. That's big.

The loss keeps the Avalanche in third place in the Central; we are tied with the Winnipeg Jets in points, but Winnipeg has so many games in hand. Also, with the Dallas Stars' win in Raleigh, the Avs are now three points out of first place. Speaking of the Stars, that's who we face next on Tuesday. It's the first of two remaining meetings with the Stars, and they are both at Ball Arena.

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