As Ian Laperriere saw the puck in the net, with knowledge secure that he finally had scored his 100th career NHL goal, there was still the matter of his impending collision with the boards behind the net.
That’s the way Laperriere’s season has gone so far. Nothing has come easily. But the pounding he took sliding into the boards would have hurt a lot more had he been robbed on another night by a hot goalie. As it turned out, Laperriere’s goal past Minnesota Wild goalie Manny Fernandez with 2:49 left in Colorado’s 4-1 victory Sunday night made for a nice cushion.
Laperriere’s goal was his first of the season, after 25 previous shots on goal, some stopped by goalies who made sensational plays.
“I just kept trying. What else can you do?” said Laperriere, who got his first career goal in the 1993-94 season, for St. Louis, against Anaheim’s Guy Hebert.
“I’m just happy that that one’s over. I just have to think about No. 2 now (for the season) instead of 100.”
Laperriere finished off a 2-on-1 break with Brett McLean.
He had the puck taped and marked and proudly showed it off to his children running around in the locker room.
“It’s a good feeling,” Laperriere said. “But let’s get on with No. 2 now.”
Ironmen
Avs winger Andrew Brunette played in his 300th consecutive game, the fourth-longest streak in the NHL. No. 1 on the active NHL list is Colorado’s Karlis Skrastins, in his 444th straight game.
Footnotes
The Avs put more than 30 shots on goal for the ninth time in 11 games. Colorado entered the game with an average of 35.3 shots on goal, second-highest in the league. … Rookie Paul Stastny extended his points streak to four games (two goals, four assists). … John-Michael Liles’ three assists set a career high.
