ANAHEIM, Calif. — If the Avalanche comes up a point shy of the playoffs, Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the at Honda Center will sting throughout the off-season. Colorado took a 3-1 lead into the third period but only got a point out of it.
THREE STARS
- Ondrej Kase. Had the OT winner for the Ducks.
- . Avs rookie forward had two goals.
- Ryan Kesler. The Ducks center bullied his way to the game-tying goal and a plus-2 in 20:11.
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Kesler cross-checked the Avalanche’s into Ducks starting goalie John Gibson late in the second period, and Gibson did not return for the third.
NEXT UP
At Los Angeles, Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche gets a point, but falls in overtime to Anaheim Ducks via
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers)
TAKEAWAYS
Anaheim played a physical brand of playoff hockey, an element the Avs don’t have much of behind Landeskog and a few others. “Thatap the way we’re built. They’re more of a skilled team over there,” Ducks center Ryan Kesler said. “We want to play to our strengths, and we did tonight. You can see they were stuck to the outside all night.”
From the coach’s mouth: “A point is a point,” said. “You’re not going to know what it is. If it is enough, if itap not enough until, like I said the only day the standings matter is next Saturday. Itap a point, itap what we got. Disappointed we didn’t get two because we played OK for a lot of that game and we were in a position to win the game. We turned a few pucks over and a part of that is their doing, and part of it is our doing. We had some puck luck early and they had some late.”
Having the last change as the home team, Kelser shadowed MacKinnon and his linemates the entire game. Kesler and Landeskog got into it several times. MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen were each kept off the score sheet at even-strength and were a combined minus-8.
The Avs are a point ahead of St. Louis for the last wild-card spot, with the Blues having a game in hand. Saturday’s regular-season finale for both teams at the figures to be like a Game 7.
Bednar said goalie , who played for the Ducks last season, will start again Monday at L.A. Bernier is coming off three injuries, including two involving his head.
Jared Bednar after 4-3 OT loss at Anaheim, which rallied from 3-1 third-period deficit
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers)
