It may have been one of the luckier goal's for a rookie, but Gabriel Landeskog sure was jumping for joy after scoring his first NHL goal. Landeskog's "deflection" (off his skate) was the tying goal that sent the game to overtime, and the avs finished it off from there in the shootout. In a very back-and-forth type game, Colorado found themselves pouring on the shots in the 3rd but still being down 2-1, and it wasn't until the final minute where they were fortunate enough to tie the game. T.J Galiardi got things started off, knocking a rebound past Steve Mason in the 1st to give the avs a 1-0 lead. In the first 40 minutes, the avs seemed to be getting outplayed and the play of Semyon Varlamov held them in it once again. If it weren't for an awful giveaway by Jay McClement, the avs would have kept control of this game. However, early in the 2nd he turned the puck over at the blueline to the last person you want to - Rick Nash, and he capitalized on his own rebound to make it 1-1. The Blue Jackets poured the shots on in the first two frames, out-shooting the avs 11-7 in the 1st and 19-7 in the 2nd for a total of 30-14 after two, and Varlamov was a huge reason the score remained 1-1 after the Blue Jacket's onslaught of shots. Once again an early period goal got to the avs, as Radek Martinek fired a point shot past Varlamov a minute into the 3rd, in what turned out to be their only shot of the period. The point shot seemed to elude Varlamov, slipping under his arm and into the net. From then on the avs kicked it into high gear and really fired back, out-shooting them 16-0 after Martinek's goal, but they couldn't beat Steve Mason. Finally Jan Hejda's point shot hit a jumping Landeskog with 41 seconds left in the game, as Varlamov was watching from the bench with the 6th skater on. What a great sight to see Gabriel score his first goal, and man was he overjoyed - he jumped up in the air over and over as his teammates mauled him. Overtime solved nothing, and the avs relied on snipers Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene to put things away as they both scored in the shootout (Nash scored first, then Prospal/Carter both missed). While Varlamov certainly stood on his head through 40, the avs offence responded very well in the 3rd and was able to walk away from Columbus with the two points. For the 3rd straight game, I really felt the O'Reilly/Landeskog/Winnik line was the best out there, they seem to know where each other are and have developed a very effective cycle/grinding game. The Duchene line was okay tonight, but I really feel that the Stastny line was missing something tonight and I believe it's time to throw back Joakim Lindstrom on that line. Lindstrom/Stastny/Jones was extremely effective in camp, and I think that Chuck Kobasew just doesn't fit on that line. The defence had another solid game, but in particular Hejda/Johnson pairing were really effective tonight. Not much has been noted about Jan Hejda in the past, but I really feel he is thriving playing with EJ as Johnson continues to get better every game. While coach Sacco has not chosen a captain yet, after 3 games it is evident to me that Johnson is the leader of this team and I really feel that he will be chosen once Sacco decides. Johnson may not have showcased all his skill in St. Louis, but he is surely showing it now as he simply is a force on and off the puck, but especially with the puck tonight I thought he was very effective and controlling. Once again the PK was extremely effective, as they haven't let up a PP goal yet this season - however they haven't scored a PP goal yet either and it definitely is something to improve on. Congrats to Gabriel on his first NHL goal!
Avalanche Three Stars:
3. Jan Hejda - Jan picked the game against his former squad to play his best, as he was very active tonight and fired the puck on Landeskog's first goal. He logged just over 25:00 minutes of icetime paired with Erik Johnson, in which has emerged as the avs first line d.
2. Semyon Varlamov - Had Landeskog not scored his 1st NHL goal, Semyon would be walking away with his 3rd straight 1st star. Regardless, I thought he was the best av on the ice for a 3rd game in a row, as he really weathered the storm in the first two periods and gave the avs the chance they needed to win the game
1. Gabriel Landeskog - It wasn't pretty, but what a great sight to see Gabriel score his first ever goal - and even greater to see how pumped he was. Not only that, but he was able to tie the game late in the 3rd and give them all the opportunity to walk away with 2 pts. Gabriel has played unbelievable so far (really developing chemistry with O'Reilly and Winnik) and tonight his hard work payed off. Congrats Gabriel!
Misplay of the Game: McClement's brutal turnover that led to Rick Nash's goal to tie the game
Play of the Game: Obvious choice, Landeskog's first NHL goal tied the game and sent it to OT
Game #4 - The Avs meet the Senators in Ottawa tomorrow night (@7:30), where they will face former Avalanche netminder Craig Anderson. This game will surely be a great one
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News
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