On the heels of their streak-snapping win against Chicago, the Colorado Avalanche were victorious again Sunday night. It took every second of the allotted 65 minutes (including overtime), but with 0.2 seconds left, Matt Duchene and the Avalanche were able to secure the win over the San Jose Sharks.
"It feels awesome," said Duchene. "I didn't think it was going to count. It just shows you have to play for the full 65 (minutes) sometimes, or 64.8."
It was just before that final buzzer that Duchene buried a rebound off of P.A. Parenteau’s shot behind San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi.
"I wasn't sure how much time was left when I shot," said Parenteau. "I got all of it on that shot and he was quick on the rebound. I thought it was going to be good, but you never know."
Parenteau now has a career-high six-game point streak. With 25 points in 24 games, he currently sits a single point behind Duchene for the team lead; ranking fifth in Western Conference scoring.
Ryan O’Reilly also continued his hot play with another goal. Although it did not show up on the statsheet, he was also instrumental in keeping the puck in the zone on Duchene’s first period goal.
The team also returned yet another player from injury, as Ryan Wilson cracked the lineup after missing time with an ankle injury.
The penalty-killing was instrumental to the Avalanche’s success, as they killed all five powerplays for a Sharks clubs that has given the Avs fits with the man-advantage this season.
The team battled hard in the corners, used their speed to their advantage and managed to tally on the powerplay. In spite of a few defensive lapses (namely turnovers in the defensive zone), this was a relatively complete effort by the burgundy and blue. Coupled with their strong showing against Chicago, it could be the start of something special for the young squad, who currently sits four points out of the final playoff spot at the season’s halfway mark.
The team however, isn’t getting ahead of themselves.
"It's still just one game," Duchene said to The Denver Post. "We need to keep going."
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