The Colorado Avalanche took a major blow to their increasingly slim playoff chances last night, and defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a major blow that caused him to leave the ice midway through the second period.
After Detroit beat Minnesota, Colorado could have climbed back within three points of the Wild for the last playoff spot with a game in hand.
The Avs couldn’t get it done, though, despite a huge effort from goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who stopped 43 pucks on the night. Unfortunately, the three that got through were one more than Colorado could put past Braden Holtby. Colorado mustered just 19 shots on Holtby all night, scoring twice.
The moment of the night came when Washington’s Tom Wilson caught Zadorov with his head down about to circle behind the net. Wilson blasted the young defenseman, sending him straight to the ice where he stayed for over a minute before finally rising and skating to the locker room.
#GottaSeeIt – Tom Wilson uncorks a massive hit behind the net. Was it clean? You be the judge.https://t.co/ktwThtZRGp
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 2, 2016
The hit summed up a rough night from the Avs, who suffered a major blow to their playoff chances. Colorado has just four games remaining to make up five points on Minnesota. All four of those games come against playoff teams, including the Western Conference-leading Stars.
The Avs take on the Blues at Pepsi Center on Sunday. Colorado lost in St. Louis on Tuesday, 3-1.
