Along with Philipp Grubauer back in web, Avalanche shuts out Sharks 3-0

Interesting article by Mike Chambers from The Denver Post discussing some important events this week. Mike Chambers recently published the article and I thought it was a great post for posting on this website.

Goalie Philipp Grubauer, playing in his first game in 18 days after testing positive for COVID-19, made a splendid return Friday night for the Avalanche, which blanked San Jose 3-0.

Colorado also welcomed wingers Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Donskoi back after significant COVID protocol absences.

They each made a difference in the victory at Ball Arena that snapped a three-game losing skid. Grubauer made 21 saves and Rantanen and Donskoi combined for three assists on first-period power-play goals by Gabe Landeskog and Cale Makar. Rantanen also scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory.

Grubauer posted his sixth shutout of the season, tying former Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders for the NHL’s lead.

Colorado, 2-3 since returning from its second COVID shutdown of the season, regained sole possession of second place in the West Divison and climbed to within four points of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Star center Nathan MacKinnon saw his NHL-leading 15-game points streak end but he was involved in a play that had the crowd rise to its collective feet. MacKinnon, taking issue with the Sharks’ Kevin Labanc riding Avs defenseman Sam Girard awkwardly into the end boards, fought Labanc midway through the third period.

MacKinnon took an additional roughing minor and the Sharks’ Tomas Hertl scored an ensuing power-play goal. But the Avs challenged that it was offside and won, erasing the goal.

The Avs took a 2-0 lead into the third period. Their power-play goals came two minutes apart in the first period, at 11:13 (Landeskog) and 13:13 (Makar).  Rantanen assisted on both and Donskoi also on the latter.

Grubauer and Donskoi had missed five games recovering from COVID-19 and Rantanen missed four from contact tracing.

Grubauer entered Friday’s game second in the NHL with 25 wins and Rantanen and Donskoi had combined for 41 goals. The Avs, still the league’s top-scoring team at 3.49 goals-per-game, had produced just six goals during their three-game losing streak.

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The losing skid might have played a part in Avs coach Jared Bednar saying he would be tight-lipped about his lineup on gamedays, and not announce the interworkings of the lineup and starting goalie after morning skates.

“I don’t see an advantage for me to do that going down the stretch here,” Bednar said Friday morning. “These are must-win games for us and I don’t feel like I should be giving San Jose extra time to prepare, or any opponent for that matter. So I’m going to stop stating our lineup from the (morning) skate.”

The playoff-bound Avs have eight remaining regular-season games, beginning with Saturday’s rematch with San Jose.

Footnotes. Avs defenseman Ryan Graves suffered a lower-body injury early in the first period and did not return. … Sharks forward Patrick Marleau played in his 1,773rd NHL regular-season game, the all-time record. The 41-year-old surpassed Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, for the record on April 19. … The Avs are in the midst of their eighth back-to-back stretch. They are a combined 10-1-3 in those games, going 6-1-0 in the first (before Friday) and 4-0-3 in the second. They have swept their last two consecutive night spans: April 2-3 vs. St Louis and April 11-12 at Anaheim and vs. Arizona. They have two more back-to-backs in May.