This Colorado Avalanche game has ties back to October 2019. Altitude, the regional sports network for Avalanche games, had a contract dispute with Comcast and DISH. The reason I mention this? Altitude’s decision to air a nationally televised TNT game left many fans in the dark. One provider in the Denver market had technical problems for a significant part of the game. Now will this give more incentive for Altitude to negotiate with other providers soon? Consider creating a streaming app like the Vegas Golden Knights. We can all hope.
Now, for the real reason, we were actually turning the television on tonight…the game itself. The Avalanche’s game against the St. Louis Blues was crucial. They did not resemble themselves in the last two road games, losing without scoring. Tonight was a different story. The Avalanche won 4–1, but what did they do right?
- Ivan Provestov looked like he belonged in the Colorado net. Starting in 2019 with the Tucson Roadrunners, he has consistently troubled the Colorado Eagles. He stayed composed, positioned himself appropriately, and showed physicality at the right moments. He had a lot of confidence in the net to gain his first win in an Avalanche sweater.
- Riley Tufte came up from the Eagles yesterday and drew into the lineup and had an immediate impact. Tufte has played six games for the Eagles and earned himself eight points, enough to be the team’s leading scorer. Despite not scoring, he made his presence felt with four shots and powerful play in the corners and in front of the net.
- They sat two big name veterans in Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin in favor of Tufte and Kurtis MacDermid. Drouin has struggled as of late, gaining only one assist in eight games. He has not found that magic that most were hoping for would come with the matchup with Nathan MacKinnon. They brought in MacDermid for his fear factor. With the Blues being a division rival, coach Jared Bednar did not hesitate to send a message to St. Louis.
Despite slipping in the last two games, Colorado regained their footing on Wednesday. Passes were on the tape, skaters in position. Having the home crowd there for them certainly helped as well. The Avalanche will challenge the defending Stanley Cup Champions in Vegas on Saturday.