Matt Duchene could have certainly used a break on that one.
After Carolina Hurricanes forward Kris Versteeg coughed up the puck in the Avalanche’s zone due to a fall, Jarome Iginla was able to charge to the other end of the ice and set up Duchene right in front of the goal. Duchene made the most of the juicy opportunity, but Ward managed to swat the puck out of midair with his stick, as you can see above.
“It’s absolutely painful. I’m probably going to have nightmares about that one,” Duchene said, per the Avalanche’s website.
Duchene was able to score his first goal of the season on Sunday, but he still has just one point in six contests, so scoring on that opportunity could have gone a long way towards putting his cold start behind him.
It also proved to be a pivotal moment in the game as Carolina and Colorado were scoreless through 60 minutes. The Hurricanes went on to win in overtime, leaving the Avalanche with a 2-3-1 record. Colorado will try to bounce back on Saturday against Columbus.
Carolina improved to 2-4-0 ahead of Friday’s game in Los Angeles.