THW's Avalanche News

THW's Avalanche news for 03/22/2021

March 22, 2021

The latest Avalanche stories from The Hockey Writers.

 

03/22/2021 edition:

By Ben Rossi on Mar 21, 2021 10:27 am

When the team is healthiest is when the team is at its strongest. Saturday’s 6-0 victory to slow down a red-hot Minnesota Wild team corroborated that statement.

The Avs looked nearly flawless on all cylinders on Saturday, as they had in both of the games against the Wild. Following a statement win on Thursday, the Avs came out shooting again putting 42 shots on goal. This win might have marked a dramatic turning point in the Honda West Division. This victory ended Wild’s rookie goaltending sensation Kaapo Kahkonen’s nine-game winning streak and gave the Avs a season-high sixth straight game.

Here are the takeaways from the Avs big win.

Makar & Toews Terrific Tandem

A defense never gets enough credit when a team puts up a scoring performance as the Avs did. But the speedy drive and heads up by top defensemen Devon Toews and Cale Makar was a major factor in the team’s dominance. Toews tops all Avs players with 612 total minutes on ice, including a game leading 21:47. Makar meanwhile piloted the scoring party at 4:13 on a bomb shot from the point that ricocheted off the near side post.

This gave the Avs a 1-0 lead on their first power play. Makar, who along with Bowen Byram returned from upper-body injuries on Thursday according to the Denver Post, brought back the Avs scoring prowess on defense with his speed across the ice. (from ‘Cale Makar, Bo Byram return from injuries as Avalanche begins two-game set against Minnesota,’ Denver Post, 03/18/2021) He also assisted on the Avs’ second goal from captain Gabriel Landeskog. Toews scored as well at 18:47 in the second period. Both men came up with big blocks in big minutes with Toews leading defensemen with a +/- of 3. Having Makar back made for an even greater offensive storm threat. That storm struck on Saturday.

Is There Any Doubt About Grubauer Now?

Going into the season if there were any questions or doubts about skill in any part of the Avs roster, it was at the netminder position. Last year, Philipp Grubauer dealt with injuries, and questions remained going into this season on whether he was truly the franchise goaltender. Questions also arose about his stamina and ability to carry the team in a long stretch.

But Grubauer has done just that. He has won six straight games, allowed just two goals in his last five games, and has a league-leading five shutouts. He also had a once in a blue moon goaltender event happen when he tallied an assist on the Mikko Rantanen goal in the second.

Saturday’s game was the first time in 18 contests that the Avs allowed over 30 shots on goal. Not a problem when you have a wall in the goal like Grubauer. The 29-year-old netminder has lifted a heavy burden for the Avs, but he has help coming. Shortly before Saturday’s game, they acquired Jonas Johansson in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres according to ESPN. The Avs are hoping Johansson will supplement their goaltender depth behind Grubauer.

Magnificent MacKinnon Lives On

Everything about the Avs clicked in this game from their defense to the scoring depth. Thursday’s 5-1 victory saw the Avs leading goal scorer Mikko Rantanen in the spotlight posting two goals on two assists. While Rantanen has been on a scoring spree scoring goals in five straight games now, Nathan MacKinnon continues to be just as much of a factor in the top line’s success, as he always is.

The centerman is always presenting his line with huge scoring opportunities as he can speed the puck through the neutral zone like no other player. In these last three games, MacKinnon has seven points, most of which have come off assists. A star player like MacKinnon willing to contribute to the scoring, without being the first name remembered on the score sheet, shows something important about his character and passion for the team. With MacKinnon playing his best hockey, the team is also looking like their best.

By Jordan Jacklin on Mar 20, 2021 04:26 pm

The Buffalo Sabres have traded goaltender Jonas Johansson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2021 6th-round pick.

At first glance, most of the Buffalo Sabres fans would be surprised that the team was able to recoup assets for Johansson, as he has had a horrific season. He currently has a .884 save percentage (SV%) across seven starts for the team, and when looking at the advanced statistics, it doesn’t make him look better. He currently ranks 53rd out of 71 goaltenders that have played at least two games this season. So, the question has to be, why did the Avalanche made a deal on Friday to acquire this goaltender?

There are two sides to this. The Sabres just signed goaltender Micheal Houser to a one-year, $700,000 contract and will be battling with Dustin Tokarski and Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen to play games in Rochester. This made Johansson expendable. For the Avalanche, there was a concern over the play of their third-string goaltender Hunter Miska, and I believe they have upgraded in that position.

To get a better understanding, let’s take a deeper dive into what Colorado is getting in Johansson and what the Sabres are getting in Houser.

Colorado Gets an Average Third-String Goaltender

Based on his play this season, the Avalanche are not getting an NHL-caliber goaltender, but he can play for their American Hockey League (AHL) team with the Eagles. In 41 career AHL games with the Rochester Americans, he has a record of 25-11-7, along with a .908 SV%. There is enough sample size to indicate that this player is an average starter in the minors and can play a couple of NHL games if someone is injured.

The biggest factor here is that goaltenders are completely random, and their career trajectory can change instantly on a new team. Devan Dubnyk looked like a goaltender that would be out of the league when the Minnesota Wild acquired him, but he ended up becoming a solid starter for them. Michael Hutchinson was traded to the Avalanche last season and actually ended up playing games for them in the second round when Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz both were injured. He was able to help the team force Game 7 against the Dallas Stars, with his best performance coming in game six, where he stopped 27 of 28 shots.

Never write off a goaltender as they can be a wildcard. For Johansson, the opportunity to play in Colorado is greater than in Buffalo, as Francouz is on long-term injured reserve, and he can battle for a roster spot with Miska. Let’s see how he does with a contending team in front of him.

What the Sabres Are Getting in Houser

Before today, there is a good chance that you had never heard of this player. Houser is a 26-year-old, undrafted goaltender with an AHL/ECHL journeyman so far in his career. On the Sabres, he will likely be the fifth-string goaltender behind Tokarski and Luukkonen, and that is basically it.

Looking at his statistics, the former London Knights goaltender has a .915 SV% across 210 games in the ECHL and a .901 SV% across 73 games in the AHL. At this point in his career, he can be a mentor to a younger goaltender within the organization, and that is Erik Portillo, who was their 67th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. When he eventually signs a contract with the team, he will likely start in the Cincinnati Coyotes, potentially playing with Houser.

There was no reason to not sign this player, as this organization needed to add depth for all positions.

Overall, by just watching him play in games and practices, as John Vogl put it, Johansson doesn’t stop pucks and is quite often out of position. A change in environment will likely help him clear his mind and hopefully get into some games with Colorado. For the Sabres, the trades are likely just beginning as we await the trade deadline on April 12.

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