Samuel Girard scores in overtime to help Avalanche beat Predators

On November 12, 2024By Littum

Jared Bednar has asked his defensemen not named Cale Makar to get more involved offensively.

He got his wish Monday night. Samuel Girard and Devon Toews both scored their first goals of the season in a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena. Sam Malinski also added his first of the season two nights ago in a win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“That’s where we need to get to,” Bednar said. “That’s been a strength of our team for years now, the involvement of our ‘D’ on the offensive side of it. We’ve been pushing them to be even more involved, and yes, we’re starting to be rewarded for that. “

Girard took the puck from a tripping Brady Skjei, drew a penalty in neutral and skated in to score on a breakaway anyway, giving the Avs their second straight win and getting them back to .500 on the season (8-8).

“I just saw (Skjei) turn his back and I just applied pressure when he turned,” Girard said. “To be honest, it was just a read.

“It’s always nice to have a breakout and also a chance to score. … Very happy to contribute in OT.”

Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves in another strong outing for the Avs. Just like two nights ago here, the Avalanche fell behind early and came back in the second period.

Colorado’s second power-play unit scored first, though it came just after the Nashville penalty expired. Toews scored 4:32 into the second when his shot went off a Predators skate and snuck past goaltender Juuse Saros. TJ Tynan also picked up his second career NHL point — and first since 2019-20 — on the play.

The Avs’ top line had several dominant shifts before eventually giving Colorado the lead at 11:37. Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck into the offensive end and dropped it to Joel Kiviranta who had just come off the bench. He found Mikko Rantanen for a one-timer and his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

The assist was point no. 30 for MacKinnon, who became the first NHL player to reach that mark this season. MacKinnon leads the league in points and assists (23).

Colton Sissons tied this game 2-2 just 59 seconds into the third period. Roman Josi made a great play to prevent a Colorado rush and keep the puck in the Avs end, then found Sissons with a smart pass to set up an easy goal at the right post.

Sissons has two goals in 15 games this year – both have been against the Avs. His 10 career tackles against Colorado are also his most against any team. He also had three goals and seven points against the Avs in a six-game playoff series in 2018.

For the third straight game, the Avalanche didn’t play well in the first period, but Georgiev kept his team close. Nashville had 10 of 11 high-danger scoring chances in the first 20 minutes, but scored on just one of them.

Even the goal Georgiev allowed in the first was certainly not his fault. He stopped Luke Evangelista’s first rebound attempt off a Juuso Parssinen point shot, but the Nashville forward had enough time to collect it, switch to his forehand and score on the third attempt without any pressure.

Three straight strong performances from Georgiev, combined with a solid string of starts from Justus Annunen before that, have helped stabilize the position for the Avalanche. The defense corps is attacking more offensively.

And reinforcements should arrive later in the week ahead, with Valeri Nichushkin expected to play Friday if reinstated by the NHL after a six-month suspension and Jonathan Drouin also close to returning from an upper-body injury.

“I feel like the guys that are playing in the spots for the guys that are out are doing a heck of a job,” Rantanen said. “They work really hard and make plays. But obviously every team wants to have their best lineup out there. Every team wants to have their guys healthy. I can’t deny that, but the replacements have done their best.”

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Originally published: 11 November 2024 at 21:50 MST