A slick Milan Hejduk wrist shot just 48 seconds into overtime rang off the left post and eluded Ty Conklin’s glove to give the Colorado Avalanche a 2-1 overtime victory at Pepsi Center tonight. In a game that saw 60 shots in less than 61 minutes, it was pretty much the goalies and the grinders that stole the spotlight.

After witnessing a few style changes in Thursday’s 3-1 win over defunct Dallas, it looks like head coach Joe Sacco is working hard to get the forwards to play with a stronger defensive effort and more energy. And tonight there was no better reflection of this style than the play of Chris Durno. Not only was he a physical force in all three zones and strong at killing penalties with Cody McLeod, he had a great work ethic all night long and chipped in offensively.

Combined with the play of newcomer Kyle Quincey, who was brilliant with the puck and displayed a ton of poise, it was a confident win that stemmed from solid plays in their own zone. Similar to the game against Dallas, this one was also highlighted by a couple of great offensive plays backed by focused, solid goaltending.

+ Peter Budaj showed excellent composure and focus in this game. Mentally he was sharp and confident on every shot that came his way. He played higher in his crease than we saw throughout Training Camp, so his solid size was even more of a factor against some of the young Blues forwards.

- The goal he allowed (5-on-3) was a slap shot that went off Scott Hannan’s leg. He had no chance at it, but you could tell he was still slightly rattled from it. The next five or six shots were not handled with the same composure as the first five or six.

+ Budaj only needed to stop five shots in the third period, but he did exactly what he has to do to win games this year and that is stop them when it matters most. His poise on the penalty kill when Hejduk went off for hooking with only 5:17 left in the game was a perfect example of this.

- The Avs were short-handed for 6:13 of the entire first period due to some lazy penalties by Darcy Tucker and T.J. Galiardi, which led to the 5-on-3 goal by Erik Johnsonthat actually went off Hannan’s leg. 

+ As a whole, I thought the Avs had much more energy while short handed and showed a stronger work ethic that forced a lot of Blues players into tough or unproductive situations. They were not afraid  to front players and push them off the puck – and that’s including the forwards like Paul Stastny (2:44 of short handed TOI) and especially Cody McLeod (3:26 of short handed TOI).

+ But no forward was more impressive on the defensive side of the puck than Chris Durno. He had great positioning, was quick to the puck and had the agility and hands to take away passing lanes in a hurry. He actually logged the second-most time on the ice while short handed at 3:38.

+ Kyle Quincey was a total beast tonight. He was the most physical defenseman in the game and also made excellent decisions with the puck. He has the ability to jump-start offensive plays by forcing turnovers with his physical play and either creating his own chances or making a solid pass up the ice. He laid out a massive hip check in the third period, one of his game-high four hits.

+ I give a lot of credit to Matt Duchene in tonight’s game. He was much more comfortable with the physical and intense nature of the NHL game. He wasn’t nearly as hesitant to battle for the puck in the high-traffic areas like around front of the net and in the corners below the hash marks. 

+ I could really notice Duchene’s ability to start turning up the physical play. He was much better at matching his style to the flow of the game. What I really like about his play so far is that he’s working hard in a ton of different situations. Tonight I saw him play the point on the man advantage with Liles, and once again he had a role in killing penalties for a few shifts.

+ The power play had a very interesting line out there in tonight’s game. It was completely stacked to score and included Liles and Duchene on the point with Stastny, Hejduk and Svatos up front. Even though they went 0-for-3 in the game, they had five quality scoring chances and had more movement with the puck and with their bodies. This is great to see, because a lack of movement was, in my opinion, their biggest issue on the PP last year.

- Colorado’s power play units don’t look very cohesive right now. Although there was much better puck movement with the forwards, it didn’t culminate in many effective playes. I noticed that Hannan put a few shots on  net where Conklin had nobody in front of him and was able to make easy saves.

+ Svatos once again looked extremely healthy and quick. I can’t remember the last time Svatos started a season completely healthy, but it’s pretty noticeable that he’s not afraid to get rough in front of the net to try and find the puck. He didn’t generate that much tonight, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort.

- Tucker took a very bad penalty in the first while the Avs were already down a man that led to Johnson’s 5-on-3 goal. Tonight was not one of his better games, especially in the first two periods. But he finished a check in the third period that led to T.J. Galiardi’s goal that tied the game at 1-1, so like Hejduk, Tucker made up for a previous blunder. He ended up as a +1 with two shots on goal and logged the most ice time for a forward while shorthanded at 3:47.

+ Durno helped set up the play that led to Galiardi’s goal. He did this by carrying the puck into the offensive zone with speed and powered his way behind Conklin’s net. At that point he skated right to the bench for a line change. A few seconds later, Tucker finished his hit along the boards and Galiardi scored. Not many guys get an assist from the bench, but Durno pulled it off on that play.

+ Around the 7:20 mark Durno drew a penalty by simply carrying the puck with confidence and once again powering his way to the net. A lot like David Jones, Durno has the size and speed to make a lot of plays where you bury a shoulder and head towards the goal with a power move. If you have the ability to play that way, it’s a style that any NHL coach would want on their final roster at the start of the season.

+ Cody McLeod was the other positive performer of the night. He was a beast killing penalties with Durno, he was gritty around the net, he was effective defensively with three blocked shots and he was generating offense behind Conklin’s net. His highlight was definitely the fight with Blues prospect Ryan Reaves, as they both tossed some wild punches while swinging around in circles for close to a minute at 17:34 of the middle frame.

- I think the Avalanche would benefit from talking a lot more on the ice. Giving linemates the heads up or just shouting out their defensive assignment is a simple thing that goes a long way. A veteran coach working a young team will pay attention to a detail like that, so I wasn’t surprised to hear a lot of the Blues players talking up a storm. If anything, it made them seem just a little bit more efficient in their line changes and in synch with their defensive positioning.

+ I think this team needs to develop a power forward that will go into the prime scoring area and establish a presence right in front of goaltenders. Now more than ever - without Ryan Smyth – this type of presence is a necessity. Forwards like Durno, Jones, Chris Stewart, McLeod or maybe even David Koci would probably see their minutes rise by filling this void. No matter what way you slice it, if you consistently distract a goalie and take away his space and comfort level, your team will score more goals over the course of a season.