It was one of those starts for the Capitals. Almost immediately after the opening faceoff the Avalanche had a breakaway chance thanks to their speed, and continued to do so for the first few minutes of the game before eventually finding the back of the net – twice – before the first period was five minutes old. The Capitals did not fold, though, and got two goals of their own from Beck Malenstyn and Connor McMicheal for a tied first period.
The Avalanche were the better team in the second period, outshooting the Capitals 10-6 and outattempting them at evens 22-11.