The Greats Make it Look Easy

For the Colorado Avalanche, the four-game homestand was done. We won three of the four games, and now, it's time to travel. After two days off, the Avs landed in Philadelphia to face off against the Flyers, with both teams entering the meeting with .500 records. For the Avs, this is our second game since a lot of our key players returned to action.

Before the game started, the Flyers held a celebration for defenseman Erik Johnson, who was playing his 1000th game in his NHL career. Fittingly, this celebration came as EJ would be facing off against the team he played a decade with, and so many of his former Colorado teammates joined EJ in celebrating this milestone, which included EJ hoisting the Cup with the Avs in 2022. My favorite EJ moment will always be right after we won, as he was shown hugging Nathan MacKinnon with so much emotion. And fittingly, we saw Gabriel Landeskog on the ice with EJ--the first two Avs players to touch the Cup during that celebration.

Regarding the game, Justus Annunen was in net against Aleksei Korosov, and the first period saw a long delay after six and a half minutes. Josh Manson accidentally collided with referee Mitch Dunning, and it was a bad one. Dunning had to be stretchered out during the game. I've seen refs take their share of licks and falls on the ice, but this was a bad one for sure. Play resumed, and the Flyers received the first power play, which became four-on-four 13 seconds later. Avs continue to dominate in shots, and then, in the tail end of the frame, Philly receives another PP. That gets killed off, and the period ends without a goal.

In the 2nd, the Avs continued to press, and Cale Makar answers with help from Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews. The goal came after an Avs power play was killed off, and later on, Makar scored again...until it was disallowed due to "Goalie Interference." They only looked at it for five seconds, saw Jonathan Drouin in front of Korosov, and decided that was somehow enough for GI. Never mind the fact that Rasmus Ristolainen caused all of the contact, it was all Drouin. Idiots. So it remained 1-0, the Avs received a power play, and it became 2-0. Guess who? Makar again. Originally, it was believed that Artturi Lehkonen tipped it in, but replay showed that it was all Makar. My thought: "Refs robbed Makar of a Natural Hat Trick."

2-0 was the score in favor of the Avs after 40, and the 3rd period was crazy. So Miles Wood and Owen Tippett got too rough with each other, and both players were sent to their respective penalty boxes for a pair. As the 4-on-4 was eight seconds away from ending, more bullshit. MacKinnon was called for a bogus tripping call, and they added two more for unsportsmanlike conduct. But remember, folks: "MacKinnon gets all of the calls." Bullshit. The only #29 the refs like is Leon Draisaitl. So after the Flyers get a 4-on-3 for eight seconds, 3:52 of a Flyers 5-on-4 begins. In true "puck don't lie" fashion, Flyers get called for back-to-back penalties. Everything gets killed off, and Casey Mittelstadt (who assisted on the second--should have been third--Makar goal) makes it 3-0.

At this point, I was quietly pulling for the shutout, but three minutes after Mittelstadt's goal, Owen Tippett ends that bid. Less than two minutes after that goal, Tyson Foerster makes it a one goal game, and it now becomes a quest for the Avs to hold to the lead. Flyers pull the goalie, and they were really pressing big time. I was pulling for Makar to get that Hat Trick, but no go. Avs would not hit the empty net, and we would not need it.

It's fitting that on a night where we see the first two Avs players to touch the Cup celebrating a milestone, the player who won the Conn Smythe that year shows out. There's a reason why I never get accused of being biased when I say that Cale Makar is the best defenseman in the league right now. Look at his career and look at this season. He's leading defensemen in goals and points this season, and both leads are pretty decent. Makar's getting comparisons to iconic defensemen like Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr. I'm serious, Makar will go down in history as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, and we will hear his name in Mt. Rushmore for defensemen talks among hockey fans, if we aren't already.

Makar had a pair of goals, but Mittelstadt's goal ended up being the game-winner. Jonathan Drouin picked up his first point, Mikko Rantanen had a pair of assist, and MacKinnon added yet another point. One win in the road trip, and next up, it's off to DC on Thursday against the Capitals.

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