Grubauer not to blame for collapse
The biggest Avalanche storyline through 40 minutes of hockey Thursday night against the Capitals was the continued dominance exhibited by goalie Philipp Grubauer.
That all changed in a disastrous third-period collapse.
Yes, Grubauer allowed a pair of goals in the final frame of a 3-2 loss, but before demanding that general manager Joe Sakic acquire a new goalie before the NHL trade deadline (Feb. 24), understand the extent of Grubauer’s recent brilliance.
“(Grubauer) played great,” defenseman Nikita Zadorov said afterward. “He gave us a chance to extend the game. He made a couple of big saves in the third period. He’s a big part of our team and he has been playing great the last few games. That’s what we expect from him.”
Entering the Senators game, Grubauer held a 4-0-0 record with a .75 goals-against average and .974 save percentage over his past four starts. He made 35 stops on Thursday night and several were acrobatic. That late goahead Capitals goal redirected off the skate of forward T.J. Oshie? It was more the result of what coach Jared Bednar called a lack of “jam” — or physicality at the point of attack.
“The game was on the line in the third, and we didn’t win enough battles,” Bednar said. “That’s the way I see it.”
Grubauer’s improved play can be tied to the recent All-Star break in which the 28-year-old goaltender used the time off to rest and get a fresh start down the final stretch of the regular season.
“I think it was really good for us,” Grubauer said of the break. “We were a little bit banged up with a couple of injuries. It wasn’t that great leading up to the break, so it’s nice to get a couple of days away from hockey and get your mind free.”
Burakovsky rolling. Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky lamented his mistake: high-sticking that opened the door for Washington’s power-play gamewinner. Burakovsky called it a “stupid penalty.”
But Thursday night served a true pinnacle of his hockey career. Burakovsky, against his former NHL team of five years, recorded his 18th goal, a careerhigh total. He also has a personalbest 25 assists. Burakovsky is one of several key offseason additions that have bolstered Colorado’s postseason push.