Getting outplayed for most of the night by the Edmonton Oilers is not ideal. But the primary concern, far greater than Friday’s 6-2 loss, is the health of Mikko Rantanen.
Colorado’s star winger left the game early in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return after taking a heavy hit from Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters in Edmonton postgame that Rantanen will be under evaluation for a while.
The Avs have a scheduled day off on Saturday. Further updates on his health aren’t likely to come before morning skate Sunday. Colorado hosts the Dallas Stars later that night.
Mattias Ekholm lands a big hit on Mikko Rantanen, who has now left the game. pic.twitter.com/8GDB1luv0j
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2024
At the time of his injury, the teams were tied at two goals a piece. But the Oilers, led by two-goal performances from Connor McDavid and Evander Kane, scored the next four to even the season series at 1-1.
Perhaps the second most concerning takeaway is the recent play of Alexandar Georgiev. Colorado’s No. 1 goalie was pulled last weekend after surrendering four goals on 13 shots against the Nashville Predators. After allowing the fourth goal, Georgiev shot the puck into the crowd out of frustration and was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Backup Justus Annunen — who has been exceptional as of late — came in and made 22 saves, and the Avs scored five times to defeat Nashville 7-4.
The following two games were both scheduled starts for Annunen. He was 1-1, capped off with a 44-save performance in Thursday’s 5-2 victory in Minnesota.
But with more than two full games away from the crease, Bednar turned back to Georgiev on Friday. And it went about as bad as it could. Georgiev struggled with unlucky goals in the early going but made several errors on bouncing pucks that went past him. Following the sixth goal, Georgiev was seen trying to snap his stick out of frustration. He made 40 saves as the Avalanche were outshot 46-23.
Georgiev’s hot and cold season has definitely been something worth monitoring. He has the skill set to win big games, he’s proved that several times over the last two seasons. More often than not, Georgiev has done a great job of bouncing back after a tough performance — granted Friday was not one of those instances.
But the biggest concern is, Georgiev’s inability to control his emotions could be his downfall. There’s a fine line between wanting to win at all costs and losing control of your emotions. The best goalies in the NHL hate losing. But those goalies are usually in control of their temper. Bednar isn’t a fan of the antics and has made that clear all season.
Having a bad game is one thing. But the after-the-whistle frustrations need to stop. If not, the Avs might have no choice but to turn to Annunen.
It’s up to Georgiev to not let that happen.