WINNIPEG — The intrigue in the Colorado Avalanche net has expanded beyond just who might play Tuesday night.
Colorado recalled Ivan Prosvetov from the AHL after practice Monday and sent Arvid Holm back to the Eagles. Prosvetov was the backup goalie for the first half of the season before getting Wally Pipp’d by Justus Annunen. Who might start is one question, but who is going to dress and potentially be ready to come out of the bullpen is now another.
It adds another layer of intrigue for coach Jared Bednar’s big decision for Game 2 of the Avs’ opening-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Here are the three keys for the Avalanche:
1. Better goaltending
Duh. The Avs yielded 1.96 expected goals against the Jets in Game 1, per Natural Stat Trick. Winnipeg put seven past Alexandar Georgiev on just 23 shots in a 7-6 win. Here are Bednar’s options:
• Georgiev: He’s been the team’s workhorse all season. He’s also allowed four or more goals in six of his past eight starts. It’s been an up-and-down season for him. When he rebounds from a slump, it’s usually been in a big way. Can he flip the script in Game 2?
• Annunen: The rookie played great in 14 appearances after being given a chance at the No. 2 role. The issue? He’s sick. Didn’t dress Sunday. Didn’t practice Monday.
• Prosvetov: Went 11-7-2 with a .921 save percentage in 21 appearances for the Eagles after getting sent down. Hasn’t played in an NHL game since Jan. 6 and allowed nine goals on 43 shots before the demotion.
What’s the read on flipping Holm for Prosvetov? Avs aren’t sure if Annunen will be able to dress, let alone play. Bednar is far more likely to insert Prosvetov, either as the starter or in relief, than he was Holm, who has zero NHL experience.
Bednar was asked about how Georgiev is feeling Monday after the rough performance.
“I’m sure not great,” Bednar said. “It’s going to be about mental toughness, right? Not just for him, for our group. As positive as I’m going to be up here and sitting up here, we didn’t win the hockey game. But you have to be able to reset. Whether we won last night or lost last night … you gotta reset and put it behind you.
“If you’re dwelling on the past in the playoffs, then you’re not setting yourselves up for success the next night, and Georgie’s no different. He’s got to reset and go play better than he did last night.”
2. Limit the mistakes
This was a common refrain, both after the game Sunday and after an optional Monday practice. Colorado did make critical mistakes on at least a couple of Winnipeg’s goals.
Josh Manson’s outlet pass was deflected into the slot for a Grade A chance on the second goal. Casey Mittelstadt was knocked off the puck and then Manson didn’t cancel out Mark Scheifele at the edge of the crease before the third one.
“You just do. That’s part of being a professional, right?” Manson said when asked how to move on. “You figure out what went wrong and how you can be mentally sharp or sharper. I did feel like offensively I was contributing and I was making plays, but really that’s not my game. My game that has kept me in the NHL isn’t putting points on the board. It’s keeping pucks out of the back of the net. I think I need to get back to that a little bit, just getting harder to play against in front of the net and making a little bit better reads. And let the offense come from there.”
A couple of the mistakes were glaring, but every NHL team is going to make a few or more in every game, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No team allowed fewer goals during the regular season than the Jets (198), but Winnipeg made as many or more mistakes in front of its goalie. The Avs can try to play a perfect game, but it still goes back to No. 1.
3. “Copy and paste”
The Jets are a deep team, but the Avs’ depth up front — even without Jonathan Drouin — had a strong Game 1. Bendar specifically mentioned that he’d like Mittelstadt and Ross Colton, the team’s top two centers behind Nathan MacKinnon, to copy and paste how they played for Game 2.
Colorado scored four goals in three games against Winnipeg in the regular season. The Avs put six behind presumptive 2024 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in Game 2. The Jets will certainly focus on trying to play a tighter game, something closer to their identity.
The Avs can’t expect to score six again, but continuing to control the play and put the heat on Winnipeg’s goaltender looks like a must, given the uncertainty at the other end.
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