Miles Wood’s “outstanding” Game 2 ruined by critical turnover in Avalanche loss

DALLAS When Miles Wood is at his best he s flying around the ice and creating chaos in the offensive zone There was plenty of that Monday night in Match of this opening-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars But for Wood that wasn t on his mind in the immediate aftermath of Dallas - overtime mastery at American Airlines Center The last play was my fault Wood stated I turned it over Colorado had more of the puck in an up-and-down fast-paced overtime but Wood lost control of it as he entered the offensive zone Colin Blackwell collected and raced to the other end cutting from left to right and firing a shot at Avs goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood Both Wood and defenseman Erik Johnson tried to get in the way of the initial shot then Wood had to jump over his diving teammate Blackwell was able to weave in between the Avs defenders reach the loose puck and snap the rebound past Blackwood with remaining in the extra session Before that Wood was playing a lot like he did down the stretch of the regular season He and Jimmy Vesey were relegated to th and th forward duties for the club s healthiest run of games but injuries and rest helped him play in the final five contests He had two goals and two assists in that span after having just two goals and two assists in his first games of an injury-plagued season Wood drew the first penalty of the contest which led to Nathan MacKinnon s opening goal He led the Avalanche with seven hits But then the last shift happened I thought he was outstanding until that turnover Avs coach Jared Bednar explained He worked hard checked hard Disciplined with the puck I thought he was playing a heck of a hockey competition until that point Just happens to be a big one That was the end of an odd day for the Avalanche Ross Colton was not available because of a lower-body injury Wood was not the expected choice to replace his buddy The Avs activated captain Gabe Landeskog from long-term injured reserve after the morning skate and there were signs that pointed to him playing in his first NHL meeting in days Landeskog participated in the morning skate and came off the ice at the same time as the other players who were in the lineup It was an optional skate and Wood was not out there Vesey stayed out with the other healthy scratches When the Avs skated onto the ice for pregame warmups Landeskog was the first guy in line behind Blackwood Devon Toews who has been wearing an A on his jersey as one of three assistant captains since Mikko Rantanen was traded in late January did not have a letter for warmups Related Articles Stars rally take down Avalanche in overtime to even series at - Avs-Stars Championship slapshots Mackenzie Blackwood Logan O Connor deserved better in Dallas Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog activated but still out for Championship against Dallas Mackenzie Blackwood elite in Avalanche s Event win over Stars Mackenzie Blackwood shines in playoff debut as Avalanche bests Stars in Match But then Wood not Landeskog took line rushes with Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta And when the official lineup was submitted it was Wood not Landeskog who made his series debut While the hockey world was watching and waiting to see if it was time for Landeskog s triumphant return it appears the particulars involved were not Wood reported he was advised Sunday that he would be in the lineup Gabe craved to get in a groove and take warmup tonight and get in the room and be part of it Bednar announced So that s why he did that Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis