Georgiev key to Avalanche win in LA

Colorado Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev mase 38 saves in the 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

LOS ANGELES – Missing two key defensemen, the Colorado Avalanche showcased its depth to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Saturday night at the Crypto.com Arena.

Bowen Byram was out of the matchup due to illness, which put another hole in the team’s defense with Cale Makar still out with a lower-body injury.

Alexandar Georgiev stopped 38 shots and allowed the team to stay in the game after a slow start to the first period. His outstanding netminding made the difference in the contest and he said it has a lot to do with confidence.

“Winning gets the confidence up, and when it is big games for us, important to find a way to win. It doesn’t matter how we feel or what’s happening, tomorrow is a big game for us as well,” Georgiev said after the win.

Colorado’s top line didn’t put a point on the board. The team got goals from Denis Malgin (2), Alex Newhook and Brad Hunt.

“I think that’s what makes us a great team. Everybody’s on the same page, everybody buys into the system. And we just move forward and pump each other up. I think that’s been something that’s been going on all year,” Hunt said.

While the D-Zone coverage broke down on some plays, the spotlight remained on Georgiev. He made some amazing saves, showing his tremendous vision and flexibility in net.

“Unreal, I mean he’s (Georgiev) been a backbone for this team for the whole year. His play is awesome, he gives us in front of him confidence,” Hunt said. “It’s awesome to see him doing so well. He’s a great dude and it’s a lot of fun playing in front of him.”

The Avalanche set a new franchise record with its 27^th win outside Ball Arena, exceeding the team’s previous record of 26 road wins set in 2013-14. They have also played well on Saturdays, holding the NHL record with the most wins of any team having a 17-4-0 record for Saturday games.

After the game, coach Jared Bednar talked about the team’s maturity and how it doesn’t matter where they play, it’s about finding depth to win when the top scorers get shut down or just can’t find the back of the net.

The two other teams in the race to win the Central Division, the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, both won Saturday leaving the Avs tied with the Stars for the top spot with 102 points and the Wild with 100. 

Colorado will face the Ducks on Sunday in Anaheim at 6:30 p.m. MT for the second to last back-to-back of the season, which hasn’t posed a problem for the club.