HATS OFF TO NIETO
Colorado defeats Dallas 5-3
The third forward line and third defensive pairing were charms for the Avalanche on Tuesday night. All in all, it was an appealing night for Avs fans at the Pepsi Center.
Forward Matt Nieto produced a hat trick, linemate Blake Comeau picked up three assists and defenseman Mark Barberio scored a big separation goal late in the second period. Those plays powered Colorado to a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars that snapped the Avs’ three-game losing skid, as well as the Stars’ five-game winning streak.
Colorado’s third line, centered by Carl Soderberg, led the way with seven points. Nieto was in the lineup opening night but scratched in five of the last seven games.
“I thought they were our best line, all night, start to finish,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Soderberg and wingers Nieto and Comeau. “They skated hard. They played through people. They kept their puck play simple and they went to the hard areas to score some goals. And Matt Nieto, that’s a response. That was a great performance.”
Dallas left winger and team captain Jamie Benn scored the Stars’ first and third goals, the latter to make it 4-3 at 10:12 of the third period. The Stars dominated the first half of the third period, but the Avs and goalie Semyon Varlamov held on and Nieto scored his third goal with 3.1 seconds remaining on an empty-net.
Colorado now has an NHL-most six empty-net goals, one more than it accumulated in 82 games last season.
“It’s awesome to be able to contribute like that,” Nieto said of his first career NHL hat trick. “I’ll remember this night, for sure.”
Nieto scored Colorado’s first two goals with a quick stick on loose pucks just outside the crease. And Barberio, playing his 200th career NHL game on the third pairing, used a big slap shot to give Colorado a 4-2 lead with 10 seconds left in the second period.
Comeau assisted on Nieto’s second goal and Barberio’s tally. First-line left winger Gabe Landeskog also scored in the Avs’ three-goal second period, and Varlamov hung on for the win to improve his record to 4-2.
“It was definitely a muck-and-grind kind of game and it’s nice that we can show we can come out on top of those,” Comeau said.
It was 1-1 after the first period before the teams combined for three goals in the first 4:04 of the second period. Nieto started the stretch to cap a great play by Comeau behind the net. The Stars answered just 30 seconds later, but Landeskog put the hosts back in front at 4:04.
The Stars jumped out to a 1-0 lead 8:03 into the game. Benn’s shot went through Varlamov’s legs off the shin pad of defenseman Anton Lindholm. Nieto tied it at 13:45, slamming in a loose puck in front of Denver-born goalie Ben Bishop, who was replaced by Kari Lehtonen 6:12 into the second period.
The Avs are scheduled to practice Wednesday and Thursday before playing their first-ever regular-season game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.