Avs Defeat Kings In Frozen Fury Finale

LAS VEGAS--The Colorado Avalanche is the final winner of the Frozen Fury.
Mikhail Grigorenko scored late in the third period and Gabriel Landeskog tallied early in overtime as the Avs defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
"I loved the way we came out in the third and battled and battled and built our goal back," said Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. "It took us almost the entire period to get it, but we were hungry. We were on our toes, and we were going after them a little bit to try and get the equalizer."

The annual preseason contest against the Kings in Las Vegas was 18th and final edition, as the city is getting a new NHL franchise for the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The Avalanche finishes .500 in Frozen Fury games against L.A., going 8-8-1.
After a scoreless first period, the second frame appeared to be heading toward the same result until Jeff Carter broke through for the Kings with 1:59 left. Carter beat Semyon Varlamov with a screaming wrist shot from the slot, with Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin getting assists.
Colorado had entered the preseason finale riding back-to-back shutouts, having defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-0 on Tuesday and the Dallas Stars 1-0 on Wednesday. Varlamov and Calvin Pickard combined for a 179:04 shutout streak, which dated back to the Kings' Trevor Lewis' tally with 1:03 left in the second period on Sept. 30.
The Avs had several quality scoring chances in the third period, but it was Grigorenko's shot from the left circle in the final minute of regulation and with the extra attacker on the ice that tied the contest.
For Grigorenko, it was his fourth goal in five preseason games.
"It was a lot of fun, and it was a tight game," Grigorenko said. "Everyone was competing well, and you just felt like it was a regular season game out there. It was fun to play some overtime and finish the preseason undefeated-that's great, too."

Minutes after Grigorenko knotted the contest, Landeskog won it early in the extra session after waiting out Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick.
"I was yelling at [Nathan MacKinnon] to get me the puck and he did," Landeskog said. "I heard Tyson [Barrie] yelling at the backdoor and [I] held onto it for a second. I think Quick and the defenseman thought I was going to the backdoor to Tyson. He was doing a good job of being the decoy on that play I guess."
The Avs close the preseason a perfect 6-0-0, the only team in the league to go undefeated in the exhibition.
However, that record is now meaningless. The hard work is just beginning as the club prepares for the regular season opener next Saturday at home against the Dallas Stars.
"I think we have a lot of time to get the work done that we need to, and I think the guys are excited for the regular season," Bednar said. "It was a great preseason, but that is all it was. Now it's time for the real thing come Saturday. So we're going to do everything we possibly can to have a focused group [during] practice here and have them rested for Saturday and ready to go."