NEWARK, N.J. — The Avalanche improved to 2-1 on this four-game road trip with a 2-1 victory Monday night at Pittsburgh. (Yes, I’m in New Jersey, on a 2-hour layover to Washington; no available direct flights from Pittsburgh to D.C. Had early wake-up call, long Uber ride to airport and short flight to Newark. Good times.)
ICYMI: Avalanche scores twice in third period to defeat Penguins in Pittsburgh via
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers)
THREE STARS
- . Colorado goalie made 39 saves and came 11.8 seconds away from his second shutout of the season.
- . Avs D-man scored the game’s first goal early in the third period, and that led to an empty-netter.
- . Logged 22:05, most among Avs forwards, and tied with a team-high five shots (and MacKinnon had a disallowed goal because of offside).
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Rookie center Alex Kerfoot suffered a lower-body injury. His status will be updated Tuesday pregame.
NEXT UP
At Washington, Tuesday 5 p.m. MT
Jared Bednar live after 2-1 win at PIT
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers)
Five takeaways
Good start. The Avs played well from the get-go, and although the shot-counter dude said it was 13-6 after the first period, Pittsburgh’s only real threat to score came during its power play, the only one of the period.
Winning side of draws. Finally, the Avalanche was on the positive side in faceoffs. The final tally: 28-26 Colorado, which is still at a league-low 43.86 percent on the season.
Mark Barberio and Jonathan Bernier after 2-1 win at Pittsburgh
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers)
Comph-ertable. Rookie forward logged 17:38, was plus-2 and again had a shorthanded breakaway bid. He’s a breakaway waiting to happen, that dude, and is entrenching himself as a top-six forward on this team.
Slashing. The Avs took three penalties, each for slashing — stemming from the NHL’s crackdown of stick-checking the hand area. , MacKinnon and each got the gate for the crackdown rule that isn’t going anywhere.
Dinosaur. Penguins fourth-line forward/enforcer Ryan Reaves took a roughing minor for glove-punching Avs defensemen Sam Girard and at the same time. Reaves is the toughest player in the NHL and logged a game-low 4:56, providing further proof that today’s NHL doesn’t need him.
