Alexandar The Great

Georgiev steals one in Minny, while Josh Manson laid a whuppin' on the Wild

Game 53
Avalanche 3, Wild 2
February 15, 2023 | St. Paul, Minn.

In a game the Colorado Avalanche absolutely had to win… they played like shite. And they won.

I cannot remember a game in recent memory (or ever) in which a team was so thoroughly outplayed by the opponent and yet it never actually felt that bad nor did I doubt that the lesser of the two teams would win. That’s what happened Wednesday night in St. Paul as the outplayed-Avs held on for a 3-2 regulation win and a huge pair of points in the standings.

The Minnesota Wild seemingly dominated the Avs and yet I never really doubted that the visitors wouldn’t win this game (with the exception of maybe the final 45 seconds when I started to worry as the Wild came on with the extra skater).

It sure didn't help the rising anxiety level when Mikko Rantanen missed the empty net with 63 seconds left in regulation that I started to allow doubt creep into my mind.

Anson Carter said it best in the TNT postgame coverage when he said, “The Minnesota Wild have to work a lot harder than the Colorado Avalanche to score goals.” That sentiment was on full display as the Wild’s scoring woes continued, despite a 24-shots-on-goal edge in this game (43-19).

Even depleted by injury and the roster depth tested night in and night out, the Avs’ skill players help cover for holes in the lineup. 

That was obviously the case tonight with another outstanding performance by Nathan MacKinnon and his one-goal, two-point night. As great as Nate was, who the hell is picking the stars of the game in St. Paul? The No. 1 Star of the Game was Alexandar Georgiev. Picking anyone else from this contest is grounds for being fired.