The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Arizona Coyotes in Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche also won Game 1 with a score of 3-0. Here is the recap of Game 2 between the Avalanche and Coyotes.
Arizona: Victor Soderstrom, Barrett Hayton, Ilya Lyubushkin, Michael Chaput, Jordan Gross, Aidin Hill, Hudson Fasching, Ivan Prosvetov, Aaron Ness, Brayden Burke, Nick Schmaltz
Colorado: Sheldon Dries, Bowen Byram, T.J. Tynan, Conor Timmins, Joonas Donskoi, Anton Lindholm, Kevin Connauton, Shane Bowers, Mark Barberio, Michael Hutchinson, Logan O’Connor
Both teams started off strong but it would be Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon who scored the game’s first goal 3:40 into the game. However, the Coyotes would start to build up momentum as the period went along. And, it paid off when Coyotes forward Clayton Keller scored the team’s first goal in this series to tie the game at one.
The game was tied at one heading into the second period.
Coyotes forward Michael Grabner had a chance to get the team’s first lead of the series but his shot hit the post. The Avalanche took advantage of that missed opportunity as forward Tyson Jost tipped in the puck to regain the team’s one goal lead. But, Grabner would get another opportunity and capitalized on it by tying the game at two. From there, it was a back and forth game with both teams getting scoring chances.
The game was tied at two heading into the third period.
Again, it was a back and forth affair between both teams but it would be Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky who scored the game winning goal with 2:53 left in the period. The Avalanche caught a lot of breaks during this period because of the offensive pressure by the Coyotes. If anything, this was probably the most well-balanced period in the two games of this series.
Colorado won the game 3-2 and extended their series lead 2-0.
Third Star: Andre Burakovsky (1 goal)
Second Star: Nathan MacKinnon (1 goal)
First Star: Philipp Grubauer (30 saves)
Arizona played a much better game but they have to convert on their scoring chances in order to win a game this series. They also know that they have the ability to sustain pressure on Colorado’s zone but the shots haven’t gone in their favor.
On the other hand, the Avalanche continue to find ways to win games even if they’re playing their worst game. They definitely didn’t have a good defensive game but their offense made up for it. However, the Avalanche can’t allow that type of defensive game against a Coyotes team that’s capable of finding ways to score.
Game 3 of the Avalanche-Coyotes series is on Aug. 15 at 3:00 pm EST.
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