The game wasn’t even a minute old, and the Avalanche was already down by a goal. After another minute ticked off the clock, it was almost a two-goal deficit, the Avs giving a sparse crowd Monday plenty of reason to doubt their decisions to trek to the Pepsi Center.
Then, John-Michael Liles did his best Bobby Orr impression. Not content just to be wearing the same number — 4 — as the legendary Hall of Famer, Liles was positively Orr-ish the rest of the period in leading the Avs to a 6-3 victory.
Liles had two goals and an assist in the first period, and the Avs maintained the examples of talent and work ethic he set the rest of the game.
For Liles, who paid rent in the doghouse of coach Joe Sacco at times last season, this season is shaping up as his best as a pro. A summer of soul-searching and trying to find the giant within appears to be paying off.
“It was a tough thing last year,” said Liles, who has 16 points in 17 games. “But sometimes, when you talk it over, it’s like one thing that makes you go ‘Wow’ and sinks in. I kind of went outside the box and talked with people I might not normally have done. I talked to a high school buddy, who helped. I talked with Peter McNab, who gave me some really good advice right before I started playing better. It was a combination of those things and myself just wanting to re-establish myself this year.”
Evening their home record at 4-4-0, the Avs outskated and outworked a Blues team that has been one of the best teams of the young NHL season.
Brandon Yip’s goal, which withstood a long video review, gave the Avs a 4-2 lead at 16:03 of the second period. At first, it appeared Yip’s goal would be disallowed, as it appeared to be batted in by his right glove. But a closer look indicated it went in off his chest and past Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak.
“We talked to (video coach) Adam Deadmarsh right away, and we knew it was in,” Sacco said. “We were very opportunistic tonight, there’s no question. But we talked before the game about getting back to our identity, which is skating and pushing the play, and I thought we did that.”
Liles was the unquestioned first star of the game, from his first period alone. He beat Halak in close at 5:05 to tie it after the Blues’ Alex Steen scored at 54 seconds off a breakaway on Peter Budaj.
Liles then gave the Avs the lead for good at 12:55, beating Halak with a screened shot from the blue line.
Fans got a couple of historic moments later in the game. Adam Foote’s second-period assist was his 254th point with Colorado, giving him the all-time franchise scoring lead for defensemen.
And Matt Duchene got into his first NHL fight in the third, and it was a doozy of a scrap, with Vladimir Sobotka. Duchene unleashed a couple of hard, vicious right hands in the bout, earning him perhaps the loudest ovation of the game.
Duchene had only one fight in his junior career at Brampton of the OHL.
“I used to fight a lot as a kid, but obviously this is way different,” he said. “We were just standing there, both the same size, and he said, ‘You wanna go?’ So I said, ‘Sure.’ “
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Avs Recap
Post’s three stars
1. John-Michael Liles.
Avs defenseman had two goals and an assist.
2. Paul Stastny.
Avs center had a goal and assist.
3. Ryan O’Byrne.
Got his first point with team and went plus-3.
What you might have missed
Matt Duchene’s only other fight of his career came at the end of the 2008-09 season for Bramptom, against current Devils prospect Adam Henrique.
Up next
Up next: San Jose, Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
