SALT LAKE CITY — It was a frustrating night for Martin Necas that was almost salvaged by one moment of brilliance.
The Colorado Avalanche was heading for its first regulation loss of the season on a weird night in Utah. Disallowed goals, bouncing pucks, botched calls — there was plenty to sidetrack a team that has been rolling to start this season.
Then Necas unleashed one of the shots of the young NHL season.
“I just saw the space there and I shot,” Necas said.
He was being a little modest, still frustrated by some of the other moments in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. It was an incredible play, a rocket of a wrister with laser-guided precision.
Even the act right before the goal was a frustrating play for Necas. He wanted to whip the puck into the offensive zone. Just as he let go of it the first time near center ice, goaltender Scott Wedgewood began his journey to the bench for an extra attacker.
But Utah rookie Dmitri Simashev blocked it with his foot. Instead of it being another instance where the Avs didn’t manage the puck well, Necas got a bounce. It came right back into his path. Simashev was smarting and vulnerable.
Necas went around him with ease and was below the right faceoff circle when he “saw the space.” It wasn’t actually big enough for a puck to fit cleanly between Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka’s body, the crossbar and the near post.
But sometimes the best way forward is through. Necas’ shot went off the side of Vejmelka’s mask and into the net with 2:16 remaining in regulation to tie the score and salvage a point for the Avs, who are now 5-0-2 to start the season.
“It was an unreal play,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “He picks it up and just rips it. That’s a goal scorer’s goal. We’re lucky to have him.”
Necas is off to a blazing start this season. That was his fifth goal, and he nudged ahead of linemate Nathan MacKinnon for the team lead with 11 points.
Still, this wasn’t the same “Showtime” kind of night for the dynamic duo. MacKinnon had a game-high eight shots on goal, including at least two that can only be classified as great saves by Vejmelka. He did give the puck away in overtime, which led to Utah’s winning goal, but if this was a “bad” game for Colorado’s top offensive duo, then it’s only because of the high expectations they’ve created.
There were some tough shifts, particularly in the second period when team-wide puck management was an issue and allowed Utah back into the game.
“Sometimes when they play good in the neutral zone, you’ve just got to get it in deep,” Necas said. “For our line, it was a lesson too. It’s not every time that you can come into the zone with possession. It was a good lesson for me.”
Necas was visibly frustrated a few times. He drove to the net in the second period and felt he was hooked or slashed, but there was no call. His stick broke during a puck battle, and he thought there should have been an infraction there as well.
Just before Utah’s goal to go ahead 3-2, Necas clearly tipped a long pass into the offensive zone. The arena was quiet enough at the time that people sitting in the back row of the lower bowl could hear the deflection. One official still called it icing, before a correction was made. Still, that placed the faceoff at center ice, and the Mammoth scored 15 seconds later.
“I thought (Necas) was just like our team — great first, good third, turned the puck over too many times in the second,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said.
It wasn’t just the Colorado top line that had reason to feel flummoxed. The Avs played a strong first period and led 1-0. It could have been more if not for Vejmelka’s strong work.
The Avs thought they did it make it a 2-0 game 46 seconds into the second. It would have been Gabe Landeskog’s first regular-season goal since March 5, 2022.
Utah challenged for offsides because the Avs were in the middle of a line change when the puck entered the Mammoth zone, and at least one player leaving the ice still had a skate on the surface in the zone.
However, the Avs felt that Dylan Guenther, who also scored the winner in overtime, played the puck back into the Utah zone on his own, which could have negated the offsides. Valeri Nichushkin had charged toward him and collected the puck after it was in the zone before feeding Landeskog for the goal.
From the NHL situation room:
Video review determined that the actions of Valeri Nichushkin caused the puck to enter the Utah zone while Nathan MacKinnon was in an off-side position. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 83.2, which states in part, “Any action by an attacking player that causes a deflection/rebound off a defending player in the neutral zone back into the defending zone (i.e. stick check, body check, physical contact), a delayed off-side shall be signaled by the Linesperson.”
The Avs did not agree with that interpretation.
“It’s a little frustrating, like I think our goal should have counted,” Bednar said. “It was not offside. They brought it in themselves. It’s a good goal. It’s a big point in the hockey game.
“So we’ll get an explanation on it. I don’t understand it. I’m pretty sure I’m right, but we’ll see.”
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