Samuel Girard scores in overtime to help Avalanche defeat the Predators

by Junna Base November 12, 2024

Jared Bednar has asked his defensemen not named Cale Makar to get more involved offensively.

He got his wish on Monday evening. Samuel Girard and Devon Toews both scored their first goals of the season in a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena. Sam Malinski also scored his first goal of the season two nights ago in a win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“We have to get there,” Bednar said. “This has been a strength of our team for years, the integration of our ‘D’ in the offensive. We’ve pushed them to step up their game and yes, we’re starting to get rewarded for it.”

Girard took the puck from a stumbling Brady Skjei, converted a penalty in the neutral zone and still skated in on a breakaway to score, giving the Avs their second straight win and moving them back to .500 on the season (8- 8).

“I just saw (Skjei) turn around and I just applied pressure when he turned around,” Girard said. “To be honest, it was just a reading.

“It’s always nice to have a breakaway and also have a chance to score. … I’m very happy to be able to contribute to the OT.”

Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves in another strong game for the Avs. Just like here two nights ago, the Avalanche fell behind early and then came back in the second half.

Colorado’s second power play unit scored first, but shortly after the Nashville penalty expired. Toews scored 4:32 into the second period when his shot bounced off a Predators skate and sneaked past goaltender Juuse Saros. TJ Tynan also picked up his second career NHL point in the game – and first since 2019-20.

The Avs’ top line made several dominant changes before finally giving Colorado the lead at 11:37. Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck on offense and then dropped it to Joel Kiviranta, who had just come off the bench. He got Mikko Rantanen for a one-timer and his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

The assist was point No. 30 for MacKinnon, who became the first NHL player to reach that point this season. MacKinnon leads the league in points and assists (23).

Colton Sissons tied this game 2-2 just 59 seconds into the third period. Roman Josi made a great play to stop a Colorado rush and keep the puck in the Avs end, then found Sissons with a nifty pass for an easy goal near the right post.

Sissons has two goals in 15 games this year – both against the Avs. His 10 career goals against Colorado are also his most against any team. He also scored three goals and seven points against the Avs in a six-game playoff series in 2018.

For the third straight game, the Avalanche didn’t play well in the first period, but Georgiev kept his team close. Nashville had 10 of 11 dangerous scoring chances in the first 20 minutes, but only scored on one of them.

Even the goal Georgiev conceded in the first half was certainly not his fault. He stopped Luke Evangelista’s first rebound attempt of a Juuso Parssinen point shot, but the Nashville forward had enough time to collect it, switch to his forehand and score unforced on the third attempt.

Three strong performances in a row from Georgiev, combined with a solid string of starts from Justus Annunen before that, have helped stabilize the position for the Avalanche. The defense corps takes a more offensive approach.

And there should be reinforcements at the top later this week: Valeri Nichushkin is expected to play Friday when he returns to the NHL after a six-month suspension, and Jonathan Drouin is also close to returning from an upper-body injury.

“I feel like the guys that are taking the spots of the guys that are out are doing a great job,” Rantanen said. “They work really hard and make plays. But of course every team wants to have its best lineup. Every team wants their guys to be healthy. I can’t deny that, but the substitutes did their best.”

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Originally published: November 11, 2024 at 9:50 pm MST