Antti Laaksonen is the Avalanche’s anti-lackadaisical presence.
Just when the Avs were getting sloppy in the late stages Thursday against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Laaksonen went into warp speed to help give the needed insurance in their 4-3 victory at the Pepsi Center.
“That kid’s got some sick speed,” Avalanche winger Dan Hinote said of Laaksonen.
Laaksonen’s short-handed goal gave Colorado a 4-2 lead with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left in the game, and the Avs overcame a last-minute Ducks goal and another major scare with seconds left to get their fourth straight victory.
With teammate Brad May in the penalty box with an ill-advised penalty for throwing the puck across the ice, Laaksonen grabbed a loose puck at center ice and blazed past everybody to beat Ducks goalie Ilja Bryzgalov.
“I saw the D-man not have much speed, and I was able to go around him,” said Laaksonen, who finished with two goals. “I think we had a good game tonight. It was a tough game, so it’s good to win it.”
It was at least the second time this season when Laaksonen used astonishing speed to make an NHL defenseman look as if he was standing still.
“He’s been great for us,” Avs coach Joel Quenneville said. “He and other guys like (Ian Laperriere) not only have given us depth but have been very effective on the special teams, killing penalties. That was a huge goal for us.”
For the Avs, it was their seventh straight game in which they scored four goals or more. More important, it was their fourth straight when they allowed three or fewer. While the team’s overall defensive play still isn’t quite where Quenneville would like it, it has greatly improved since opening night.
“I think we’ve been more consistent when it’s been five-on-five,” Quenneville said. “Our coverage has tightened up a bit. The quality of opportunities (against) has been cut down a little.”
Joe Sakic and Rob Blake also scored, with Milan Hejduk getting two assists. Sakic beat Bryzgalov with a trademark wrist shot to make it 3-1 at 1:25 of the second period, tying him with Doug Gilmour for 14th place on the all-time NHL scoring list (1,414 points). It was Colorado’s first game since Saturday, but overall there wasn’t much rust on its game.
“We were a little worried before the game, with the four days off. It’s tougher coming back like that rather than every second day,” Sakic said. “But I liked the way everybody came out with a lot of energy.”
Bryzgalov robbed the Avs on several scoring bids that would have increased their lead, especially in the third. Alex Tanguay was stopped on three great chances, and Andrew Brunette on another.
Avs goalie David Aebischer, meanwhile, seemed a bit shaky from a lack of work much of the night. He was bailed out by defenseman John-Michael Liles early in the third, after a puck trickled through Aebischer’s pads and came to rest on the goal line. But Liles cleared it out of trouble.
“I thought I had it,” Aebischer said. “Liles saved me there.”
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Mighty Ducks.
“This was the worst game we’ve played in a long time,” coach Randy Carlyle said.
“But they forced us to do some things. You always credit your opposition.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
