The second game of this season was one of the weirdest for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs went to San Jose, suffocated the Sharks from start to finish, and still needed a shootout goal to eek by the rebuilding club.
Colorado did not dominate San Jose the same way in the second matchup, but the Avalanche did cruise to a 6-2 win at Ball Arena that featured far less tension about the outcome. Nathan MacKinnon had two goal and two assists while matching the longest point streak of his career at 15 games, and the power play struck twice for only the second time in 17 games.
“I feel very clear,” MacKinnon said. “The game feels slow, which is always a good feeling. I’m doing a lot of work away from the rink that no one sees and it’s paying off right now.”
The Avs have now won three times in four games after their worst stretch of the season. They also shrugged off a disappointing effort Saturday night in Winnipeg and reclaimed first place in the Central Division.
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All three members of Colorado’s top line scored in the opening 24 minutes as the Avs built a 4-0 lead. Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen both scored on the man advantage in the opening 12:15, giving the Avalanche two goals on its first eight shots against Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado peppered Blackwood with 52 shots back in October, but needed a late goal to get to overtime before winning 2-1 in a shootout.
Miles Wood scored late in the first period and then MacKinnon followed early in the second to give the Avs a comfortable 4-0 lead. San Jose began the season with 11 straight losses, but had won six of 10 coming into this one to climb out of last place in the NHL standings. The Sharks also erased four-goal leads in back-to-back contests earlier this month.
“This was about the way we wanted to play and I thought we accomplished everything we wanted to in the first period,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We tried to simplify on our (zone) exits and then we wanted to have a linear, fast attack. I thought we did that in the first period.”
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, front, dives on the ice to stop the puck and collides with San Jose Sharks left wing Fabian Zetterlund in the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Avalanche didn’t exactly kill this game off after going up by four goals, but the lead was never truly in doubt. Ryan Johansen snapped a nine-game goalless streak with a rebound tally in the third to provide a little extra cushion, and then MacKinnon added his second into an empty net.
MacKinnon moved into second place in the NHL scoring race with another big night. He’s up to 47 points, five behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the league lead. He also has eight goals and 27 points during the 15-game streak.
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The star center only had nine points in his first 10 games, which is not a “slump” for 99 percent of the players in the NHL. He had 14 shots on goal in one of those games: at SAP Center against the Sharks.
Alexandar Georgiev didn’t have a lot of work at times but shook off getting pulled from his last start with 26 saves. Georgiev had allowed at least three goals in four of his past five starts. Ivan Prosvetov had started three of the past four contests, while also winning in relief of Georgiev in the fourth.
“I thought he was fantastic. I thought he was great,” Bednar said. “We got sloppy for a couple times for five-minute stretches — not often — but they created some really good looks and some difficult saves and I thought he was really sharp.
FOOTNOTES: Cale Makar missed a second straight game with a nagging lower-body injury. Bednar said the club doesn’t want the injury to get worse, but he will travel with the team to Chicago for its next game.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski, right, is helped off the ice by head trainer Matthew Sokolowski after Malinski was injured when he was boarded by San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob MacDonald in the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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There are a lot of questions about the Denver Broncos this season.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
At least for the last almost nine seasons.
To add another to the mix, who will be the Broncos MVP this season?
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NFL.com thinks it’ll be cornerback Pat Surtain II. That’s the most likely scenario, given how good Surtain is and how many questions there are for this roster. Surtain isn’t just the best defender in Denver; he’s one of the best cornerbacks in football.
After Surtain, the race is wide open.
Much of this will depend on how good the Broncos offense is and what it looks like. One guy who should be on the list is guard Quinn Meinerz. “The Belly” has become one of the guards in the NFL. If the offense is able to run the ball and protect whoever starts, likely Bo Nix, Meinerz will play a big role in that success.
Courtland Sutton will get thrown out. But if he’s healthy, Tim Patrick is more valuable to Denver’s offense. Patrick is also the more complete receiver. Since Patrick is returning from two brutal injuries, that’s the biggest question with Patrick. Hopefully he’s able to stay on the field.
On defense, newly acquired John Franklin-Myers is a guy to watch on the defensive line. Franklin-Myers will be a key contributor to the defensive front and help lead it to any success. For his career, Franklin-Myers has 135 tackles, 61 quarterback hits and 19.5 sacks. A disruptive force from the defensive line is what this defense needs.
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The other player on defense for Denver is Baron Browning … if he can stay healthy. Consistent pressure off the edge is crucial for the Broncos defense, and Browning has the potential to be a great pass rusher. If he’s consistent, he could put himself in the Broncos MVP discussion.
Those are a few guys I think could compete with Surtain for Denver’s MVP this season. Who else could become a possibility?
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The Croatian forward found his new NBA contract while competing with his national team
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By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Croatian forward Dario Saric has agreed on a two-year, $10.6 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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Deal includes player option on second-year.
Saric is currently in Greece for one of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and the news came just a couple of hours after he helped his national team beat the Dominican Republic and making it to the final against the hosts.
Saric averaged 8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Warriors last season.
He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016 playing two seasons for the team before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After a season with the team he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 offseason and played four seasons for them before being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2023 trade deadline.
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The following offseason, he joined the Golden State Warriors.
Training camp is fast approaching, and the Denver Broncos are in need of making a few strategic moves to enhance the roster. The potential addition of free agents could strengthen weak positions or even preempt training camp battles.
What unfinished business do the Broncos have? Here are three key moves that could greatly improve the Broncos’ offense before the training camp commences on July 26.
Naming the starting quarterback before training camp would be crucial. A prolonged battle can deprive the eventual starter of valuable snaps, particularly for a rookie like Bo Nix. These snaps are essential for building chemistry with the receivers, gaining confidence, and mastering the offense — vital for a well-run offense.
Instead of keeping up the facade of a battle between Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson, the Broncos should dispense with it. And Wilson needs to catch up.
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Through OTAs and minicamp, Stidham was the most consistent quarterback, as he should be. He would have the best understanding of the offense, having been with the team for over a year, but he has shown in his limited action that he is not a franchise quarterback. The same can be said of Wilson, despite not being in the best situation with the New York Jets, who drafted him at No. 2 overall in 2021 and didn’t give him the best support.
The Broncos drafted Nix at No. 12 overall because they believe he can be a franchise quarterback. With that belief, the Broncos must do everything they can to prepare him.
Nix is a 24-year-old rookie, so the Broncos don’t have time for him to sit. They need to get him the first-team reps during training camp and let him work to be the franchise quarterback they believe he can be.
There’ a saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.
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This might rattle some who want to turn to Alex Forsyth because of his one year with Nix at Oregon, but he still has to show he can be the starting center. The same goes for Luke Wattenberg. While the Broncos have veteran newcomer Sam Mustipher, his time as a starting center was among the worst in the NFL. Denver needs to add a good veteran with experience.
There are some veteran centers the Broncos can look at, but finding one with good experience might be challenging. There is Mason Cole, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers released, but his experience as a starter isn’t great, though it was better than Mustipher. The one who might be more interesting is Nick Gates, who has been a solid starting center throughout his career.
Another option is reuniting with Connor McGovern, who spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos. He spent the last four with the Jets, where he was a quality starter for the first three years. McGovern struggled in the 2023 season but was sidelined with an injury after seven games.
Bottom line, the Broncos need to add another center to compete, and one who brings quality experience. They don’t have a proven center, but if Forsyth or Wattenberg develop and earn the starting job, then all will be well. However, not having a quality center could ruin a season.
While the Broncos have potential in the tight end room, they don’t have any proven assets. Can Greg Dulcich stay healthy? Can Adam Trautman take a step forward? Will Lucas Krull develop?
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It’s a room replete with questions, and the Broncos don’t have any answers. On top of that, they don’t have any insurance if Dulcich can’t stay healthy or Krull develops. And what about the blocking at the position?
Few tight end options are available when looking at free agents. Trevon Wesco is an available blocking tight end and can give the Broncos a reliable blocking option. If the Broncos want to add someone for receiving ability, then Jimmy Graham — a familiar face for Sean Payton — could be an option. Graham will be 38 years old and may not offer much as a receiver, but he would provide some insurance for Dulcich and Krull.
Blake Bell, who is 32 years old and a decent depth option, might be the best bet. Again, there isn’t a top guy available, but the Broncos need insurance for what they have, but players they can look to fall back on if other things don’t turn out as they hope.
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