Good and bad: Avalanche overcomes third-period rally to beat Ottawa 5-4

DENVER – What started as a low-scoring game on Sunday ended with an insane amount of goals late in the third period. And in the end, the difference was an empty-net goal for Nathan MacKinnon, leading the Avalanche to a 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Ball Arena.

Colorado took a 2-0 lead before the onslaught began. First two goals from the Senators, then two goals from the Avs to regain their two goal lead. But after Ottawa responded again with 3:12 left to increase the score to 4-3, MacKinnon thought he had tied the game with an empty-neter with 1:15 left. Technically he did, but I don't think he expected his goal to lead to the win. Ottawa's final score with eight seconds left made the score 5-4.

For the Avs to win five straight games after losing their first four is a great sign, especially considering none of their missing forwards have actually returned yet. Head coach Jared Bednar made several decisions with his roster that paid off immensely. Whether it was moving Ross Colton to the wing and moving him to the top line, trusting Parker Kelly as the third-line center, or pairing Nikolai Kovalenko and Logan O'Connor with Casey Mittelstadt, almost every decision, that he's hit since his fall to Boston has worked.

O'Connor and Kovalenko both scored their first goals of the season. For Kovalenko it was also the first of his career. Josh Manson also had his first assist, while Mittelstadt had three assists. In goal, Justus Annunen made 26 saves. For most of the evening it seemed like he would allow zero or maybe even one goal. But fortunately the Avs were able to hang on. With another home game coming up on Monday, Annunen is expected to have the evening off after taking on the load for a week.

Mittelstadt's three assists gave him 12 points in nine games. All while playing mostly rookies and players like O'Connor, who will likely slot in on the third or fourth line when the team gets healthy.

“He’s a super talented guy. He sees things other guys can’t see and he makes plays other guys can’t make,” Bednar said of Mittelstadt. “I think whether you can get him with the right mix, whatever the chemistry is – that remains to be seen. I’m open to anything in our top 6 and top 9 and hope that at some point we can find a few people who will make these decisions difficult for us.”

Mittelstadt's performance was much needed, especially on a night where Bednar was open about how badly his top line and top defensive pair were struggling. On offense, Cale Makar had an assist, MacKinnon finished with two points, Colton scored again and Mikko Rantanen contributed an assist.

Despite Mittelstadt's great game, I felt like another player was more deserving of the “good” for this game. Especially when he scored a goal.

Good: Logan O'Connor

Last season, O'Connor scored three short-handed goals in three games. He also had his first career hat trick in Philadelphia and followed that up with a two-goal game just two games later. Multi-goal games are a rarity for the hard-working bottom six striker and he scored two in three games for a total of five goals.

And until tonight, those were his last goals.

O'Connor didn't score in the final few games he played last season before undergoing season-ending hip surgery and was completely off the scoresheet in the first eight games of this year. But when Ottawa fought back and scored two goals in just over two minutes, it was O'Connor who restored the lead for Colorado – a lead they refused to reduce until the end of the game, although four before the final More goals were scored and the buzzer sounded.

The goal that gives a team a lead that they can't relinquish is one that I value very much. Although MacKinnon's hit into the empty net was the game-winning goal, it was O'Connor's strike that gave the Avs the lead after they gave it up. Colton followed up shortly after, meaning Ottawa's third goal still gave Colorado the lead.

It's always nice to see O'Connor rewarded. He played his role in the second line brilliantly and now he is finally in control in terms of goals and points.

Bad: Cale Makar

This was a tough evening together for Devon Toews and Makar. Bednar even replaced Sam Malinski and Makar at one point because he felt his star defenseman was having a rough night. He was one of only two Avs players to finish with a minus rating. Makar also played a season-low 21:46.

Luckily for the Avs, they still got a win and Makar will look to bounce back on Monday against Chicago. The reduced ice time is also good news ahead of a back-to-back tournament.