Entering the playoffs with a goalie problem is like taking a road trip in the family truckster.
Think you hate it now, wait ’til you drive it. The Avs head to Winnipeg on Sunday. Buckle your seat belts. The Avs are in for a bumpy ride.
No one quite knows how Colorado went from Stanley Cup contender to staring down a second straight first-round exit. The Avs looked up on the morning of April 14, and there it was in their inbox: “Urgent. Factory Recall. Brake hoses could rupture, increasing the risk of crash and the inability to stop anything, including power plays or odd-man rushes.”
Alexander Georgiev picked a bad time to have a bad month. Hockey playoffs feature games that can barely breathe. Every mistake is magnified. Every fundamental gaffe amplified. A great goalie calms the nerves, covers more blemishes than Revlon.
No one can say with any conviction that Georgiev can steal a game right now. Or make a big save. Is it too late to sign DU’s Matt Davis?
Georgiev is in a slump, meaning coach Jared Bednar must be prepared to act quickly and lean on Justus Annunen if necessary.
Nothing creates more concern on the ice like not knowing what to expect from the backstop. It’s the baseball equivalent of porous starting pitching. This is not an overreaction to Winnipeg’s 7-0 blitzing of the Avs last Saturday. Georgiev was leaking transmission fluid long before this meltdown. The numbers paint a picture that makes loyalty — he won 38 games this season — a difficult argument to advance given the stakes.
In Georgiev’s last five games, he has allowed 22 goals with an .853 save percentage. Yes, nine were on power plays, leaving multiple fingerprints at the scene. That still leaves an alarming 13 even-strength scores. Extrapolate it deeper, and it gets worse.
Styles make fights, and Georgiev does not match up well vs. the Jets. They have peppered him for 42 shots this season, delivering seven goals. An .833 save percentage? Really. Anything below .900 is below average.
It is why it’s fair to wonder if this Avs season will end abruptly because they lack even mediocre net work. Let’s not forget that for the season, Georgiev posted a 3.02 goals against average, ranking 24th out of 32 starters. Translation: He has gone from OK to Ruh-Roh.
Could Georgiev start to simmer? Sure. I could also lose 75 pounds and become a jockey. What evidence exists that either could happen?
The Avs have eased Annunen into the fold this season, typically against non-contenders, to build his confidence. In his last five games, he has stopped 120 of 129 shots with a .930 save percentage. Those numbers are encouraging, but he also failed to inspire vs. Winnipeg, allowing three goals in 11 shots after replacing Georgiev in the most recent rout.
I get it. The Avs won a Stanley Cup two years ago without excellence between the pipes. But Darcy Kuemper looks like Patrick Roy when compared to Georgiev. Kuemper posted a 2.54 goals against average in the regular season and .902 save percentage in the postseason. Neither number is special, but it made the Avs dangerous, keeping them close enough for the offense to take over.
Colorado boasts a similar attack this season. No team scored more goals. It is central to Nathan MacKinnon’s case to win his first Hart Trophy. The statistics, however, were not inflated with helium against the Jets.
Related Articles
DU defenseman Sean Behrens signs three-year entry-level contract with Avalanche
Analysis: Why star Nathan MacKinnon is going to win MVP honors
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets: Series predictions, who has the edge and five things to watch in Stanley Cup Playoffs
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets playoff series schedule: Game times, TV
Nathan MacKinnon breaks Avalanche single-season record for points in regular-season finale
The simple truth is goalie Connor Hellebuyck is a problem. He is expected to win the Vezina Trophy, and will if his work against the Avs is weighed heavily. Winnipeg blitzed Colorado in three games, outscoring the Avs 17-4. Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 96 shots, posting a 1.33 goals against average.
In April alone, he is 5-0 with a 1.99 GAA — a number that only ticks up slightly at home (2.34) in 30 games.
The Jets boast an eight-game winning streak. They are smoking hot. The Avs’ roster is so talented. It is hard to reconcile that they are in such a compromised position because of their uncertainty at the most important position.
Trust Curious Georgiev at your peril. It’s time to pull him out of the fridge, place him in the microwave and hope, with white-knuckle fingers crossed, that he defrosts.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.