Broncos' Russell Wilson, More Praise Josh Manson, Avalanche After Win vs. Blues in OT
May 18, 2022
The Colorado Avalanche and defenseman Josh Manson were the talk of the NHL on Tuesday night after Manson's overtime goal gave the Avs a 3-2 win in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.
Colorado, the odds-on favorite to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final, won Tuesday's contest with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first overtime session when Manson's seeing-eye wrister beat Blues goalie Jordan Binnington from the point:
That led to no shortage of reaction from across the internet, including a shoutout from the state of Colorado's newest star athlete.
Quarterback Russell Wilson, who is now a member of the Denver Broncos after an offseason trade from the Seattle Seahawks, loved what he saw out of the Avs:
MLB's Colorado Rockies got in on the excitement as well:
Fans and reporters alike praised the performance of Manson, fellow defenseman Samuel Girard and the Avalanche as a whole in a game that saw the Avs outshoot the Blues 54-25:
Manson, who was acquired by the Avs in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks in March, was voted the first star of the game.
Not only did he score the game-winner, but he also assisted on a goal by Girard in the second period.
Typically, fans have come to expect stars such as Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar to score big goals for Colorado, but the fact that the decisive goal came off the stick of an unheralded blueliner in Manson likely played a role in the reaction.
Now, the Avs will look to extend their series lead to 2-0 when they host the Blues again for Game 2 on Thursday.