When you spend many a game night in the press box, you never know when your next opportunity might come. When it does, you better make the most of it.
Such was the case with Colorado Avalanche forward Andreas Martinsen. For seven straight contests, the 25-year-old had served as a spectator. Inserted into the lineup against the ever-truculent Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, he paid immediate dividends, scoring the team’s second goal in the 3-0 victory.
“I did a little fake and took it to my backhand and the net was open, so I just had to get it in,” said Martinsen. “It happened pretty fast. I didn’t think much. It’s just one of those things that was automatic, so it was a really good feeling seeing that puck go in. “
It was Martinsen’s first goal since Dec. 12, ending a 30-game drought.
“Yeah, it’s been awhile,” he said. “Obviously it’s always fun to score goals, but when you haven’t had one for a while, then how I’ve been sitting out for a few games, then you come back in and score a goal and help the team win, it’s great.”
One person who wasn’t surprised by Martinsen’s contributions to the victory over Anaheim was Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy. Registering four hits, he played physical, just as his coach had expected; the goal was just icing on the cake.
“He’s been working really hard in practice, and I thought it was a big team,” Roy said of playing Martinsen against the Ducks. “I thought he’d be a great fit for us and he scored a big goal.”
