Varlamov stops 37 in Avs win
More composed Colorado squad picks up fifth victory in six games
There was a time when an early two-goal deficit would have deflated the Colorado Avalanche.
That was so two weeks ago, though.
This is a much more confident group, especially with a healthy Semyon Varlamov in goal.
Nathan MacKinnon broke a second-period tie and Varlamov stopped 37 shots, leading the Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Erik Johnson, John Mitchell and Matt Duchene also scored as the Avalanche won for the fifth time in six games to leapfrog Dallas in the Central Division standings.
“Our top guys have been playing good hockey,” said Colorado coach Patrick Roy, whose team bounced back from a 2-0 deficit after the first period.
MacKinnon’s marker with 8.4 seconds left in the second was part of a three-goal period for the Avalanche. They came out fast to start the third, too, as Duchene scored with just 12 seconds gone. It was his first goal since Dec. 11.
“We stayed with it and Varly made big saves the rest of the way,” Duchene said.
The pivotal play of the game was early in the third when Tyler Seguin, the NHL’s leading goal scorer, was stuffed on a breakaway by Varlamov. The save kept Colorado’s lead intact as the crowd chanted “Varly, Varly.”
“I made a quick move on net, but (Varlamov) made the save,” Seguin said.
Varlamov improved to 6-2 with two shutouts in eight starts since returning from a groin injury.
He’s stopped 127 of 132 shots over his past three games.
“I thought that he was focused,” Roy said. “He was capable of regrouping.”
Brett Ritchie, Colton Sceviour and Ales Hemsky had goals for the Stars, who have dropped five straight in Denver.
The Stars pulled Kari Lehtonen with about 1:20 remaining and had a great chance to tie the game, only to have Jason Spezza’s shot from down low clang off the post.
“We played well enough to win — hard enough, well enough,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.
Colorado erupted for three goals in the second period to turn around a game the Stars were dominating. MacKinnon’s goal that gave Colorado the lead was upheld after a lengthy review.
The play started when Maxime Talbot intercepted a pass near the blue-line and sent it over to MacKinnon. The teenager tried to push the puck past Lehtonen’s left pad. The referee signalled good, the horn blew and the Avalanche celebrated.
It was reviewed for several minutes, with one replay appearing to show the puck just barely creeping over the line. The officials said the play was inconclusive and the goal stood.
“Regardless of the wait, I got the result I wanted,” MacKinnon said.
Lehtonen was cruising along with a 2-0 lead in the second period, making pad save after pad save until the Avalanche finally got something by him. It started with Johnson, who backhanded a shot that trickled past Lehtonen’s left skate and into the goal. “Lucky goal,” Ruff said. Just the way things have been going this season for Johnson, who was selected to his first AllStar game Saturday. Johnson has a career-high 12 goals this season.
Just 1:25 after Johnson’s goal, Mitchell sent a low liner from the blue line into traffic that got by Lehtonen to tie the game 2-2.
The Stars caught Colorado napping in the Avalanche’s only home afternoon game of the season, scoring 27 seconds into the game.