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| Avs Head Coach Patrick Roy |
DAL - Rich Peverley (1) - from Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn (4:18 1ST)
COL - Matt Duchene (4) - unassisted (11:43 1ST)
COL - Jan Hejda (1) - from Nathan MacKinnon and P.A. Parenteau (19:53 1ST)
DAL - Cody Eakin PPG (1) - from Ray Whitney and Erik Cole (10:58 2ND)
COL - Matt Duchene (5) - from P.A. Parenteau and Erik Johnson (14:18 2ND)
Another game, another win for the Avalanche who remain unbeaten to start the season at 6-0-0. Patrick Roy has tied an NHL record with the most consecutive wins to start a NHL Head Coaching Career, tying Mario Tremblay who did it with the Canadiens in 1995-1996. What makes this even more ironic was the fact that Roy was the goalie on that Canadiens team, and his famous altercation with Tremblay led to Roy being traded to the Avs and winning the Stanley Cup that season. What makes this situation even more intense is that the Avs next game is against their biggest rival, the Detroit Red Wings, and we all know how much Patrick wants this one. Once again the story was Semyon Varlamov, who was outstanding making 39 saves while also allowing more the 1 goal for the 1st time this season. The Stars opened the scoring in the 1st, as Rich Peverley got behind Jan Hejda/Erik Johnson and beat Varly on the breakaway to make it 1-0. The Avs would get even later in the period, as a sloppy Sergei Gonchar turnover left Matt Duchene wide open in the slot and he made no mistake beating Dan Ellis. The Avs would then take the lead with seconds remaining in the 1st, as a long shift by the McGinn-MacKinnon-Parenteau line lead to Jan Hejda scoring his 1st of the season with 7 seconfs left. The Avs outshot the Stars 10-6 in the period, leading 2-1 heading into the 2nd. The 1st was slow and sloppy from both teams, but things changed drastically in the 2nd as both teams used their speed and starting skating hard. The Stars would tie the game on the PP, as Cody Eakin beat Varlamov five-hole with 1 second left on MacKinnon's penalty, marking the first time all season the Avs let in a PP goal. The Avs would then take the lead minutes later, as another long shift by the MacKinnon line lead to the a delayed penalty. As the play went on, the Avs 6th attacker Matt Duchnene took a Parenteau pass at Center and made a few nices moves before roofing it over Ellis for the 3-2 lead and his 2nd goal of the game, 5th of the season. Another highlight reel goal by Dutchy, and it was also his 200th NHL point which is extremely impressive considering he is still 22 years old. The Stars would outshoot the Avs 18-5 in the 2nd, but the Avs remained in the lead. The 3rd period was a lot like the 2nd period, as the Avs tightened up defensively and had a great period from Semyon Varlamov. The Stars made a final push, including Alex Chiasson with a shot point-blank on Varlamov at the buzzer, but the Avs would hold on for their 6th consecutive win. Once again it wasn't the prettiest game, but simply put the Avs are getting it done and playing hard as a team. You can see how much each player is buying into Patrick Roy's system, the plays know how much he cares and they are feeding off it. This was the team that was supposed to score but have weak goaltending and defense; well they are definitely scoring but it has been the play of Semyon Varlamov and the Avs D that has been the biggest surprise this season. The Avs are 6-0-0, tied for top of the NHL with the San Jose Sharks (6-0-0) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-1-0).
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| Avs F Matt Duchene celebrates his 2nd of 2 goals on the night, his 200th NHL point |
3. Tyler Seguin - Seguin was the Stars most dangerous player all night, he picked up an assist and had several chances to score tonight.
2. Matt Duchene - Dutchy picked up the Avs 1st and 3rd goals of the night, his 4th and 5th goals of the season. Duchene's 2nd goal was also the game winner, and his 200th NHL point.
1. Semyon Varlamov - Seeing a pattern here? That is now 5 straight starts for Varlamov, 5 straight wins and 5 straight 1st Star performances. This was the 1st time he allowed more than 1 goal in a game, but he was very effective making 39 saves on 41 shots.
Play of the Game - Matt Duchene's GWG was also another highlight-reel goal: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/matt-duchene-scores-beautiful-goal-perfect-avs-delayed-031515501--nhl.html
Interesting Stat of the Night - Matt Duchene now has 200 NHL points in 272 games at age 22.
Game #7 - Patrick Roy goes for an NHL record with 7 consecutive wins to start a Head Coaching career, and he does so at home against the Avs bitter rival the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night (@9PM ET)
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