On Wednesday night, the Colorado Avalanche put together a statement win over the surging Anaheim Ducks. Playing an integral part of the 3-0 victory was the stellar play of rejuvenated starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Perhaps equally as important however, was the team’s continued success on the penalty kill.
For the seventh straight game, the Avalanche stymied their opponent completely. In this contest, however, they weren’t facing just any power play; they were facing the Ducks, who had gotten at least a point in 14 straight contests, and who boast the second-best powerplay in the NHL.
“The penalty killing, the guys did an outstanding job today,” explained Varlamov. “That was the key.”
The Avalanche currently rank third in the Western Conference, killing 81.7 percent of their penalties on the season. That number is on the rise as of late, something that head coach Patrick Roy attributes to his team.
“Our guys are very committed and the players deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve been killing the penalties,” said Roy. “They are really engaged.”
If the Avalanche hope to keep up their success shorthanded on their upcoming Canadian road trip, they will have to do so without their captain, as the NHL handed Gabriel Landeskog a three-game suspension on Thursday for cross-checking.