It took five games for the Avalanche to get their first win since the All-Star break — their first victory in a six-game road trip that ends Thursday.
Colorado doubled up the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, coming away with a 6-3 victory after scoring twice on the empty net late in the third period to secure the two points.
It was a much-needed effort for the Avs, who scored the first two goals of the game to gain a multi-goal lead for the first time since before the break. Forward Logan O’Connor was a late scratch (lower body) and Alexandar Georgiev got the nod in goal. Here’s how they came away with a season sweep of Alex Ovechkin’s Caps.
Artturi Lehkonen breaks through
Colorado’s top-six forward returned from a 35-game absence back when the Avs hosted the Capitals at Ball Arena on Jan. 24. Since then, he’d played in all six games, recording just a single assist. Against the Caps, in his seventh game since returning, Lehkonen had two goals and two assists, matching his season-high four-point performance from back in October.
Lehkonen spent several games shaking off the rust of a lengthy absence and recovery from a neck injury he suffered in November. But in his last couple of outings, you could see him working towards a breakout. He was flipped around the lineup, starting on a line with Ryan Johansen and Zach Parise before getting opportunities on the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
His performance in Washington was on a line with Ross Colton and Miles Wood — both of whom also had multi-point games. Lehkonen’s hard work in the defensive zone set up the first goal and he later added a tally that put Colorado back ahead 3-2. Later in the second period, a well-executed between-the-legs pass to Rantanen on the power play set up what eventually stood as the game-winning goal.
Power play powers up
The Avs’ power play was among its most lethal weapons in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break and bye week. But coming out of the lengthy time off, Colorado struggled mightily on the man advantage. Not only did it fail to score on 13 opportunities over four games, but the top unit struggled more often than not to even set up dangerously in the offensive zone.
Lehkonen’s aforementioned pass put an end to that drought on the Avalanche’s second opportunity of the evening. Rantanen’s tally was his 29th of the season.
Scoring first matters
Over the past three games, the Avs found themselves regularly fighting to overcome a multi-goal deficit. Sure, Colorado leads the NHL in come-from-behind wins, but the narrative seemed to overtake most of the road trip. While the team managed to erase deficits at times, they were never able to come away with a victory.
Against the Caps, the Avalanche scored first and gained a two-goal lead, which they eventually surrendered in just 44 seconds. But they didn’t let the Caps get ahead. Goals from Lehkonen and Rantanen regained a two-goal lead and the Capitals trailed the rest of the way.
