The Colorado Avalanche will take a win wherever they can get it, even if it’s ugly. On Thursday night, the Utah Mammoth came to town, and Scott Wedgewood stood tall throughout the entire game. If it were for the Avalanche goaltender, it would not have been a close game. A fantastic goal early in the game by Ross Colton got the crowd buzzing, and Nathan MacKinnon put a lid on the game. The Avalanche walked away with a 2–1 victory as Wedgewood stood tall.

View from the Mountaintop

Scott Wedgewood is making a case for a starting role to give Mackenzie Blackwood more time. Wedgewood was strong in the net on Thursday, making fantastic saves. It appeared he was completely in the zone and nothing could break him. The only shot that made its way past him was a quick shot from Dylan Guenther on the power play. Wedgewood was comfortable, standing at the top of the crease on many breakaway chances by the Mammoth. This took away the angle from the shooter. Wedgewood finished the game with a .969 save percentage and allowed only one goal on 32 shots.

The Avalanche failed to get the puck on net for almost the entire second period. They registered only four shots on goal in the period and did not get their first shot until 5:34 left in the frame. This all happened with two power-play opportunities in that timeframe. Colorado would eventually convert on the power play in the third, but had to suffer through the second period. The Avalanche are two of ten on the power play for the season so far. The most concerning part was that it took almost 15 minutes to get a shot on net.

The Avalanche had a little trouble shutting down the outside of the defensive zone. The Mammoth were working their way around the edge and pushing into the center, giving themselves more chances. This caused unnecessary work for Wedgewood when there should not have been.

The Avalanche will take on another division rival in the Dallas Stars as former teammate Mikko Rantanen returns to town. The game will begin at 7 p.m. MT and broadcast on local Channel 9 and Altitude.

***

Originally published on Hockey Mountain High, part of the Mile High Sports family of networks.