WINNIPEG — The curiosity about the Colorado Avalanche goalie situation has grown beyond just who might play Tuesday night.
Colorado brought Ivan Prosvetov up from the AHL after practice on Monday and sent Arvid Holm back to the Eagles. Prosvetov served as the backup goalie for the first half of the season before being replaced by Justus Annunen. The question of who will start is important, but now another question is who will be dressed and ready to substitute in.
This adds another element of intrigue to coach Jared Bednar’s significant decision for Game 2 of the Avs’ opening-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Here are the three main points for the Avalanche:
1. Improved goaltending
Of course. The Avs allowed 1.96 expected goals against the Jets in Game 1, per Natural Stat Trick. Winnipeg scored seven goals past Alexandar Georgiev on just 23 shots in a 7-6 victory.. Here are Bednar’s options:
• Georgiev: He’s been the team’s main goalkeeper all season. However, he has allowed four or more goals in six of his last eight starts. It has been a somewhat inconsistent season for him. When he recovers from a slump, it tends to be in a significant manner. Can he change the situation in Game 2?
• Annunen: The rookie performed well in 14 games after being given a chance as the No. 2 goalie. The problem? He's unwell. He didn't play on Sunday or practice on Monday.
• Prosvetov: He achieved 11-7-2 with a .921 save percentage in 21 games for the Eagles after being demoted. He hasn't played in an NHL game since Jan. 6 and let in nine goals on 43 shots before being sent down.
What’s the reasoning behind replacing Holm with Prosvetov? The Avs are uncertain if Annunen will be able to dress, let alone play. Bednar is much more likely to include Prosvetov, either as the starter or as a substitute, than he was with Holm, who lacks NHL experience.
Bednar was asked about Georgiev's state of mind on Monday after the difficult performance.
“I’m sure not great,” Bednar said. “It’s going to be about mental toughness, right? Not just for him, for our group. As positive as I’m going to be up here and sitting up here, we didn’t win the hockey game. But you have to be able to reset. Whether we won last night or lost last night … you gotta reset and put it behind you.
“If you’re dwelling on the past in the playoffs, then you’re not setting yourselves up for success the next night, and Georgie’s no different. He’s got to reset and go play better than he did last night.”
2. Minimize the errors
This was a common theme, both after the game on Sunday and after an optional practice on Monday. Colorado made crucial mistakes on at least a few of Winnipeg’s goals.
Josh Manson’s pass was deflected into the slot for a prime opportunity on the second goal. Casey Mittelstadt lost possession of the puck, and then Manson failed to neutralize Mark Scheifele at the edge of the crease before the third goal.
“You just do. That’s part of being a professional, right?” Manson said when asked how to move on. “You figure out what went wrong and how you can be mentally sharp or sharper. I did feel like offensively I was contributing and I was making plays, but really that’s not my game. My game that has kept me in the NHL isn’t putting points on the board. It’s keeping pucks out of the back of the net. I think I need to get back to that a little bit, just getting harder to play against in front of the net and making a little bit better reads. And let the offense come from there.”
A few mistakes stood out, but every NHL team will make several mistakes in every game, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets allowed the fewest goals in the regular season (198), but Winnipeg made as many or more mistakes in front of its goalie. The Avs can aim for a perfect game, but it still comes back to being the top priority.
3. “Copy and paste”
The Jets have good depth, but the Avs’ front-line depth — even without Jonathan Drouin — had a strong Game 1. Bendar specifically mentioned that he’d like Mittelstadt and Ross Colton, the team’s top two centers behind Nathan MacKinnon, to replicate how they played for Game 2.
Colorado scored four goals in three games against Winnipeg in the regular season. The Avs scored six goals against presumed 2024 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in Game 2. The Jets will certainly focus on trying to play a tighter game, something closer to their identity.
The Avs can’t expect to score six again, but continuing to control the game and put pressure on Winnipeg’s goaltender seems essential, given the uncertainty at the other end.
