Colorado Avalanche v Winnipeg Jets - Game One — Colorado Avalanche may be stuck with goalie Alexandar Georgiev as a result of backup Justus Anuunen's illness

Colorado Avalanche may be stuck with goalie Alexandar Georgiev as a result of backup Justus Anuunen's illness

Modified Apr 22, 2024 07:09 GMT

It's uncertain if the Colorado Avalanche will switch up their goalie for Game 2 against the Winnipeg Jets. In Game 1 on Monday, Alexandar Georgiev got the nod as the starting netminder.

The atmosphere at the sold-out Canada Life Center arena was intense for Georgiev, and the Jets fans got under his skin with their "pull the goalie" chants in the third period.

Georgiev looked shaky and ended up conceding seven goals on 23 shots and posting a meager .696 SV% in the 7-6 defeat to the Jets. The Colorado Avalanche didn't pull him off the net because the backup goalie, Justus Annumen, wasn't available due to illness.

In the post-game interview, Avs HC Jared Bednar said that it's uncertain if Annunen will be ready to play in Game 2, and the decision regarding the starting goalie for Game 2 will depend on his health status (via Denvergazette.com):

“I don’t know if (Annunen) is going to be healthy enough to play or not,” coach Jared Bednar said following the 7-6 loss. “He wasn't healthy enough to play tonight. We'll see what we see in the morning. ... I’m not going to speculate (if the Avs will make a goalie change).”

Bednar acknowledged that Georgiev made some good saves but also reckoned that the team might need a couple more key saves to secure a win and highlighted the importance of improvement moving forward:

"(Georgiev) made some good saves, but we’re gonna need like a couple more saves than that probably to win,” Bednar added. “But it is what it is. We’ll regroup. We made some mistakes in front of him that we’ll have to clean up and try to get the job done. It’s a team game.”

The Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets return to action for Game 2 on Tuesday at Canada Life Center. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Alexandar Georgiev speaks about his performance following Colorado Avalanche's Game 1 loss

Following the game, Georgiev addressed the media and said that despite making some good saves, the opponent could capitalize on crucial moments in the game.

The 28-year-old netminder emphasized that the need to remain focused is essential in high-pressure situations:

“I’m just trying to focus on the next shot,” Georgiev said. “I think I had a couple good saves when we were down 4-3 in the second. They just managed to score a couple at the right time.”

Meanwhile, Cale Makar had a solid start to the playoffs for the Colorado Avalanche, as he accumulated a goal and two assists on the night. Apart from him, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Artturi Lehkonen notched up two points apiece.