AVS’ RALLY SPOILS DUCHENE’S RETURN
For a while Friday, everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place for Matt Duchene in his return to his old home at the Pepsi Center. But then the Colorado Avalanche’s biggest stars flexed their muscles and showcased just how dominant they can be en route to a 6-3 defeat of the Ottawa Senators. When it mattered most, the Senators had no answers for the high-scoring trio of Nathan Mackinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. While a pair of goals from Duchene helped give the Senators a 3-1 lead midway through the second period, Ottawa was on its heels as the threesome cranked up the pressure. Rantanen made it 3-2 on a power play late in the second period. After Carl Sodeberg tied the game 3-3 on a power play one minute into the third period, banking a shot off goalie Craig Anderson’s skate, the big guns put the Senators away. Landeskog beat Anderson to the short side five minutes later to make it 4-3. Another 2:24 later, Mackinnon finished off a pretty feed from Landeskog to put the game out of reach. Matt Nieto put the finishing touches on the victory, scoring with 4:27 to go. It’s still early in the season, but the Senators are writing the same script on many nights. They have no way to stop the NHL’s top trios. You could see this rally coming from a long way away. On the road, without the last change, Senators coach Guy Boucher recognized he had little control over who played against the Avalanche stars. When the threesome is on, they are something special to watch. Until they found their touch, though, much of the game centred around Duchene. With the Senators leading 1-0 on an early Ryan Dzingel goal, the Avalanche did the classy thing and celebrated Duchene’s time with the Avalanche with a tribute on the video scoreboard midway through the first period. Most of the crowd — many wearing Avalanche jerseys with “Duchene” on the back and others who brought Duchene signs to the game — responded with applause. There were some scattered boos and one leatherlunged fan offered up a “you quitter” in reference to Duchene’s request for a trade away from the Avalanche. Duchene, seated on the Senators’ bench, acknowledged the gesture by raising his stick in the air. But there were more boos directed toward Duchene and his new team only seconds later. On the ensuing faceoff, Colin White cleanly won the draw. From his spot inside the blue line, Cody Ceci fired a puck toward the Avalanche net. Duchene, stationed to the left of goaltender Philipp Grubauer, neatly deflected the puck in. Duchene had the magic touch in the second period, too. After Samuel Girard narrowed the Senators’ lead to 2-1, finishing off some fine work by the top Avalanche line, Duchene scored only 12 seconds later. Unfortunately for the Senators, that was the end of their celebrations.
BIG NIGHT IN THE SEATS
Duchene bought a suite at the arena for friends and family. “This city is still home for me and it always will be,” Duchene said. “I have family here and my wife is from here, and I grew up here, in a way. There are a lot of emotions, for sure. It wasn’t just like I said, ‘I’m done,’ and walked out of here.” Duchene was choked up after walking into the building for the first time since Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic granted his request for a trade, shipping him to the Senators in a colossal three-way deal last November. Duchene spent more than eight seasons with the Avalanche. “I’m pretty emotional,” he said. “It’s hard not to feel that way, given what playing here meant to me.”
SEEKING ADVICE
Countless players have been through similar situations and Duchene did lean on others for advice. “We walked in together (for Friday’s morning skate) and we talked about it,” said Senators winger Bobby Ryan, who went through a similar episode when he went back to Anaheim in 2013. “It’s weird. You’re saying hello to the rink staff and the guys you have known for a long time. You have a lot of emotions before the game, but after first shift, you kind of just get back into groove. But you’ve got relationships and you’ll ask guys (on the other team) about their families during the game and ask how they’re doing.”
JUST ANOTHER GAME
Avalanche captain Landeskog had dinner with Duchene Thursday, after the Senators flew in from Ottawa. While he recognizes that Duchene was dealing with a spectrum of feelings, Landeskog insisted Avalanche players long ago dealt with the fact Duchene was gone. He also deflected away suggestions that trading away Duchene is the reason why the Avalanche had a strong second half to the 2017-18 season. Before Friday’s tilt, the Avalanche had gone 41-26-11 since the Duchene trade. The Senators? A not-so-fine 26-41-7. “I look at that Sweden trip as a great team bonding experience and I think that’s where our team grew together,” Landeskog said. “Whether he was on the team or not, it would have had similar a similar effect. We sort of found our groove and started playing a lot better.”
SEEN AND HEARD
Fitting, wasn’t it, that Kyle Turris scored the game winning overtime goal for Nashville on the eve of Duchene’s return to Colorado? ... Why is there that unmistakable skunk-like smell along the hip 16th Street Mall area in Denver? And is that smell coming to Canada?