Game review: Colorado Avalanche finally prevails against the Anaheim Ducks

Well, that only took a few minutes. After playing a total of 15 periods of hockey in five games and almost a full overtime period, the Colorado Avalanche finally got their first win of the 2024-25 season, defeating the Anaheim Ducks with a final score of 4-3.

Let's break down all of tonight's action!

First period

Well, the bad news is that Colorado is also unlucky at the moment. The good news is that being THAT unlucky is not sustainable. Aside from that, Anaheim probably got a little lucky with that first goal. After a wild scramble in the goal crease that initially looked like the puck was going to be blown dead, Anaheim finally gets the puck out of the scrum and throws it into the net.

And it wouldn't be an NHL game without a little refereeing controversy, so let's get that out of the way early, shall we? Anaheim would score just before the end of the first period as the puck went out of play due to a missed break. You can say as much as you want, I understand, but the puck was clearly out of play, the referee looked like he was going to ruin the game as he watched the puck go out of play, and then this Piece just won't stop for whatever reason.

Second period

Casey Mittelstadt wouldn't waste any time finally taking advantage of a chance for Colorado on a breakaway. Mittelstadt would find a way to get all the way behind the Ducks defense and Nikolai Kovalanko would manage to find him with a pass setting him up for his fourth goal of the season.

Colorado continued to pressure throughout and created opportunities for Lukas Dostal. Even though it ultimately came to nothing, they carried the momentum – and a man advantage – into the third period.

Third period

After Ross Colton managed to get within a goal in the second period, he tied the game for the Avs less than a minute into the third period. At the end of the second period there were a number of penalties from both teams, so Colorado actually started this period with a 4-on-3 power play. The Avs would eventually line up at the top of the circles in the Anaheim zone and Mittelstadt would make a pretty good pass to set up Colton for a one-timer and he managed to beat Dostal.

Colorado continued to apply offensive pressure after the draw and was ultimately rewarded for it. Colton would continue his tear tonight as he would also score his fourth goal of the year, giving the Avs the go-ahead goal in this stretch as well. Mikko Rantanen ran the puck behind the net and played it into the slot in what initially looked like an insignificant pass. But as elite players often do, the seemingly insignificant pass was entirely intentional, and Mikko found Colton right in the slot, who made no mistake with the pass.

The Ducks would go on a 6-on-4 power play in the last two minutes or so of regulation and they would tie the game at three points and from there we would go to overtime. To be honest, there's not much to say about this goal, just because the odds are generally pretty high that any team with a two-man advantage will convert it. So what the hell are you going to do?

Over time

To answer the question asked earlier: Nathan MacKinnon's review is exactly what you will do! After they probably deserved a little luck with the puck themselves, especially after the first half, they finally managed a lucky jump. Make no mistake about this goal, MacKinnon accomplished this goal all by himself by breaking into the Anaheim zone in a one-on-three situation and it's a decent shot, but the puck also bounces happily from Dostal and into the zone back into the Ducks' net before he can fend it off, bringing us to the final score of 4-3!

Takeaways

I mentioned this in the game preview, but going into this game it definitely felt like there were parts of Colorado's game from the previous four games that you could at least feel pretty solid about, but it just didn't seem like they could put it all together. Tonight at least felt like a more cohesive game with everything falling into place, which is absolutely a step in the right direction. And tonight they just didn't seem to care that things weren't going their way tonight, especially after the two strange goals in the first period.

Colorado's depth also continued to impress, namely Ross Colton and Casey Mittelstadt. Colton, of course, finished the night with two goals and Mittelstadt recorded a goal and an assist. These two players in particular stood out tonight, their chemistry is undeniable at this point, which is of course a big advantage as they wait for reinforcements.

While there are still some things to worry about, if this makes anyone feel better, many of these issues will likely resolve themselves over time as injured players return. The four losses before this game felt bad, and they certainly did, but this is also a long season with plenty of opportunities to turn things around and make up ground. Good teams will get through those rough patches and bad teams will go on winning streaks, that's just how this sport works. That being said, this is an 82-game season, not 82 different one-game seasons. Things will get better for the Avs and there are plenty of ways to get better. Tonight is a step towards things getting better, there's no doubt about it.

Soon

Colorado travels to California to take on the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, October 20th. Puck drop takes place at 6:00 p.m. MT.