In a battle of the walking wounded, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime.
Without centers Sidney Crosby, Evegeni Malkin for the Penguins and Matt Duchene for the Avs, the two teams squared off looking to capture two more points.
Despite playing a better game than they had all month, the fate of the Avalanche was still the same: a loss.
However, instead of giving up after goals against, not skating and an overall play that lacked emotion, the Avs played hard, played well and most importantly, they played as a team.
For the first time since their Jan. 18 win versus Vancouver, the Avs played solid team defense. Players were in the right position, supporting one another in high-scoring areas and taking good care of the puck.
This game may not have been a win but it was a good building-block game for the Avs to at least return to respectability.
For the Avs it all starts with the physical game, especially when the team lacks confidence. They need to be moving their feet, hitting players, being physical and the Avs did that with every player except John-Michael Liles getting credited for a hit in the contest.
The Avs also got good performances from their younger players. Cameron Gaunce got his first NHL goal on shot through traffic, Mark Olver, despite being -2, was active around the puck and showed a lot of tenacity and Ryan O'Reilly had perhaps his best all around game of the season.
Radar stepped into the second line center role with Matt Duchene out with a hand injury and performed admirably. He played 21:58 and registered five shots on net. He was very fast and always seemed to be around the puck. Hopefully, he'll continue to perform as well in the coming months.
So while the stat column will read an "L," the Avs can hold their heads high knowing that they played as a team and showed more fight than any other game in February.
Three Stars
1. Tyler Kennedy- scored the OT winner
2. Ryan O'Reilly- played a fabulous game
3. Kris Letang- had two assists, one of them setting up the OT winner
Facepalm of the Game
This one goes to Kevin Porter for his trip in overtime that led to the overtime winner. In a tight game, going that fast, keep the stick away from the skates at all cost. There's impetus and then there's stupidity. Where do you think you fall Porter?
Bang Bang play of the Game
Cameron Gaunce wins this for his first NHL goal, as does Joe Vitale for his.
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • 
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