This NHL season has proven especially tough for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, but in the acme after coming back from his injury earlier in the year, he scored the decisive goal over the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks in overtime at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night, 4-3.
“It feels good. It’s been a tough year for a lot of guys, the fans included. It’s been hard to find some wins this year, so to get it at home is good too. Contributing when you can feels good, and it’s exciting to get a win anytime you can,” Johnson said. “It’s tough to get a goal regardless for us this year. It’s tough to score so we’ll take them any way we can get them.”
For most of the night, the Avs played well as a unit, minus an 11-minute stretch in the second period when the Blackhawks terrorized them with three quick goals to put themselves up 3-0. But thanks to the defensive and offensive presence from the likes of Johnson and teammates Mark Barberio, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, the Avs were able to claw their way back into the competition by the end of the period.
“I thought we played hard the whole night, we were pretty dangerous offensively, and everyone was pulling on the rope in the same direction tonight,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “I liked our intensity. I liked a lot of things about that game.”
Just six minutes into the third period, Duchene finished the second part of his three-point night by assisting a score by Mikhail Grigorenko to force the tie, and Johnson’s line helped keep Chicago in check throughout the rest of regulation.
Not even two minutes into extra time, Duchene and Johnson became the heroes of the night as they collaborated for a shocking, come-from-behind victory with a smooth shot past Chicago’s Scott Darling.
“The other guys were out there for quite a bit, kind of stuck out there, and were able to get a change. Dutchy made a nice cycle for me down in the corner, and I was able to get some speed, cut up the rail there, got some room, and tried to go quick inside-outside the five hole,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to get on the board and get a win.”
Johnson said the goal came as a bit of a relief after the season he’s had. At the beginning of December, he suffered a broken leg in the game against Dallas, which tentatively sidelined him for the following three months. But that hasn’t slowed him down since he made his return.
“It’s been a unique year for me in that regard,” Johnson said. “It’s usually been kind of the thing I’ve been counting on, to come in from the back end and score goals, so it’s been tough, slightly, in that regard. It’s good to get on the board, no matter when it is in the season. It’s just one of those years that you have to hit reset after and come into the next season fresh and ready to go. Hopefully we can finish out these last couple games hard.”
Johnson’s ramped-up intensity since his return in late-February didn’t come as a surprise to Bednar, however, as he believes his game has improved greatly since the start of the season.
“He’s been good. He didn’t miss a beat really, to be honest, and in ways he’s better now than before he left,” Bednar said. “He’s a little bit more in control of his game, still dangerous up ice. He’s been logging a lot of minutes and has been physical in the back end.”
All night long, the Avs dominated possession of the puck and cut Darling’s work out for him, aiming 51 shots on goal to the Blackhawks’ 27. But still, they couldn’t get much of any offensive success going until midway through the second.
“I don’t remember the last time we had that many shots,” Johnson said. “We knew we were playing a really good game, especially after the first period. We knew they weren’t on their A-game and that they were going to come out a lot better in the second, and they did. We had a tough hole to get out of, but we managed to do it. It’s just good resiliency. We’re at the bottom of the standings but don’t know how to quit, and we claw our way back.”
The Avs hope to continue that resiliency in their next game on Thursday, April 6, as they host the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m MT.