So Nice, It Has to be Said Twice

The Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of getting back on track, having won three straight games after a strange and odd 0-4 start. The streak started with an overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks, and it was followed by wins in San Jose and Seattle--the latter coming in the NHL's annual Frozen Frenzy evening. Regarding Game 8, this was the last leg of the Avs' three-game road trip, and for the first time ever, we were in Salt Lake City against the Utah Hockey Club.

Now, before I continue, here's how the Utah Hockey Club came to be. We all know about the Arizona Coyotes' supposed relocation to Salt Lake City. The team moved, but the history, the logo, and the team colors remained in Arizona. The whole thing centered on a new stadium in Arizona, and since one wasn't built, the team moved to a new location while operations were ceased for the time being. As a result, the league still has 32 teams in play, but the Utah Hockey Club is introduced as the NHL's 33rd franchise. The Coyotes have five years to return to play, or they will fold permanently.

It's the NHL equivalent of what happened with the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, and the New Orleans Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA. In addition, this whole thing has increased the long-running expansion rumors that have hit the NHL for about three or four years now, with rumored cities such as Atlanta, Quebec City, and Houston getting NHL teams.

So that's the story. Now on to this one.

Justus Annunen was in net for the Avs for the third straight game, and he was going up against Karel Vejmelka. Already, the first power play of the game went to Utah, but that was killed off. Avs dominated in shots despite being shorthanded, but we would receive a power play that turned into a long five-on-three. The five-on-three as killed off, but on the normal power play, it was red hot Ross Colton with his seventh goal of the season! Holy moley, what is he on?! The assists came from Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt, and the Avs continued to dominate in shots. At the tail end of the first frame, Cale Makar continued his own hot streak and made it 2-0; Rantanen added another helper, while the secondary assist came from Nikolai Kovalenko.

Avs led 2-0 after 20 minutes, but were shorthanded withing the first minute. Utah's PP was killed off, and the Hockey Club continued to struggle with piecing shots together. Late in the frame, Mittlestadt made it 3-0; he's another one who has been red hot lately. The helpers came from Kovalenko and Sam Malinski, and just over three months later, Ivan Ivan gets his first NHL goal, and on the power play, no less. Nathan MacKinnon and Mittelstadt with the assists, but what a moment for Ivan! So that made it 4-0 and really put this out of reach for Utah.

The 3rd period was mostly the Avs killing time for the most part, as well as Annunen looking to preserve the shutout. Unfortunately, Annunen lost the shutout late in the period, as Lawson Crouse put Utah on the board at 15:28. Less than a minute later, Joel Kiviranta--another play on a roll--got that goal back, and it was all over but the shouting.

The Avalanche have now followed up a four game losing streak with a four game winning streak! We are at .500 just like that, winning 5-1 over the Utah Hockey Club. The Avs were operating on all cylinders. Casey Mittelstadt with three points, Nikolai Kovalenko and Mikko Rantanen with two assists each, and Ivan Ivan with his first NHL goal. Ivan's had a few points so far, but that goal was just amazing as hell! The Avs swept the three game road trip, and now, we are back to being that strong team again.

The Avalanche return home on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, and that will kick off a three game homestand that will later see us host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. Those games will end the month of October for the Avs, and will give us a chance to salvage the month after a bad start.

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