DALLAS — He’s now a Stanley Cup criminal, wanted in two countries, but the law can’t stop Alexandar Georgiev if he catches them first. Two counts of petty theft in Manitoba. Six counts of highway robbery in overtime. Nineteen counts of torching a social media story. One count of murder by fan in the first degree.
How do you plead, Georgie?
“I was just trying to stay focused and compete,” the Avalanche’s transcendent goaltender said after saving a 4-3 overtime win over Dallas on Tuesday night. “And whatever happens, just try to make that save.”
The Stars didn’t have any stinking affairs going into Thursday’s Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, trailing 1-0 against the Avs. None. They outscored Colorado 6-0 in the first seven minutes of overtime. They pitched a tent in the Avs defensive zone. They set up camp in Georgiev’s courtyard. They found the door to the back porch. They kicked until the hinges gave way.
About four minutes and 53 seconds into overtime, Dallas forward Tyler Seguin leaned in for the kill and fell on his sword instead. The Stars center looked at a bare goal, used an Avs defender as a screen and fired a snapper that should have lit the lamp.
But like all good thieves, Georgiev had other ideas. The Colorado goalie slid violently to his left, threw his glove, kicked out his left pad and crossed out the biscuit, pure poetry and stone.
“The guy came in like a wrap and conveyed it (my vision) quickly,” said Georgiev, who has won five straight playoff starts. “I felt like I was a little late to the play. I was just trying to get my leg and my glove there and find the puck. Maybe I got a little lucky there too, but I was just trying to stay with it.
John Dillinger raised his horns. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker stood up from their love seats of eternal damnation and applauded. While Tyler Seguin dragged a look of disgust and disbelief towards the Dallas bench, Billy the Kid screamed from the eighth circle of Hades. They know a thief when they see one.
“He was huge for us,” said Avs winger Miles Wood, whose breakaway winner left the home side murmuring as they trudged toward the exits.
“In the (Winnipeg) series, (Georgiev) was great for us. In the first period, three goals were scored, but the rebound he showed was exceptional.
Every long Stanley Cup run requires at least one stolen game out of nowhere. Every championship parade needs a smooth criminal. Georgie not only stole more than 18,000 locals in green in the first game, he also did so after withstanding the mother of all assaults in the first period: nine shots received and three goals allowed, a couple which tickled the string after random bounces.
“Maybe a little bad luck on his part on the first goals,” mused coach Jared Bednar. “Firstly, he didn’t see it…but he certainly stepped up as the game went on. And we saw it in these playoffs.
The Avs don’t need Georgie to be Patrick Roy for 40 minutes, much less 60. They need Darcy Kuemper. They need flashes. They need a short memory and a long faith. They need consistent competence, a high floor that won’t collapse when the pressure mounts. They need a tether and a lifeline for the play, reasonable coverage until this offense flips the switch that tears defenders to shreds.
Because they will. It’s just a question of when.
“I felt in the game from the start,” said Georgiev, who stopped 13 straight shots starting in the second stanza. “Maybe it was because I knew the other team would come out strong early in the first (period). They just had some good rebounds on a few goals. We tried to stick with it and see what happens. The guys did a great job (Tuesday) and were able to get us a win.
Social media skeptics will say the Avs formula is a paper tiger lurking in the smoke. But this paper tiger is also 3-1 on the road in the playoffs with a 5.25 goals average away from Colorado.
The best luck, of course, is the one you make yourself. A series between two teams with this much skill and depth is going to come down to steel in the gut and space between the ears. And perhaps the most intoxicating play of the entire night came in the final seconds of a brutal first half, as the Avs got smoked like an Arnold Schwarzenegger cigar.
Trailing 3-0, defenseman Josh Manson saw a puck about to be rolled up by Dallas’ Jamie Benn while Georgie was still helplessly prone, spread across the ice after a belly-flop save. The veteran D-man jumped into the field, swept a loose puck and coolly knocked it out of harm’s way.
“Yes, we have some experience in pulling off big comebacks,” Georgiev said. “You try to play a full 60 (minutes), try not to think about the past, stick to the game plan and see what happens. The guys scored big goals at the right time and overall we found a way to win. This is huge for us.
Him too. Talent borrows. The genius flies.
