Avalanche’s Alex Georgiev shares perfect reaction to clutch Game 2 performance

The Colorado Avalanche needed a bounce-back game from Alexandar Georgiev in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night — and that’s exactly what they got.

After posting a .696 save percentage and allowing seven goals in the opener, the Russian was superb at Canada Life Centre two nights later, making 28 saves on 30 shots and propelling the Avs to a convincing 5-2 victory.

Georgiev shared a terrific response to the excellent performance afterwards.

“I tried to imagine that feeling, winning the first game of the series for us,” the netminder said with a smile, according to NHL.com’s Tracey Myers. “Trust the game and enjoy the atmosphere. I tried to approach it as a new game, definitely, after the last one.”

Georgiev allowed a goal to Jets’ center David Gustafsson just over three minutes into the contest, and it looked like it could be another long night for the veteran. But he locked in after that, making a couple of huge stops and not allowing another goal against until halfway through the second period. That would be the last goal he would concede.

Georgiev was completely locked in for Avalanche in Game 2

“They showed so much support to me over the last couple of days,” Georgiev said of his teammates. “A very rough first game, obviously. I just felt so much trust in the room from everybody and I appreciate it so much. It helped me reset, to know that they have got my back. I know I’ll help them out as well during this playoff. It was huge from them. I appreciate it.”

Georgiev did his job on Tuesday night, and the Avalanche’s prolific offense did the rest.

Artturi Lehkonen tipped in a Cale Makar shot to knot the score at two with five minutes left in the second frame, and it opened the floodgates. Zach Parise scored just three minutes later before Nathan MacKinnon found D-man Josh Manson out of the box with just seconds left in the period. Manson made no mistake in what was one of the few breakaways he’s ever had at the NHL level.

“Yeah, that felt good,” the blue liner explained after the game, per Myers. “I mean, first of all, glory to God. I don’t get those often and just to be able to put that away, it was nice. It was obviously not my best effort, Game 1 defensively. I wanted to focus on that, and those things happen sometimes like that. So, it was nice.”

Valeri Nichushkin sealed it with an empty-net goal late in the third, and the Avalanche are heading back to Denver with home-ice advantage back.

Alex Georgiev, Avalanche back in driver’s seat