DENVER– Trent Miner stopped all 29 shots he faced to earn his first NHL victory, becoming the 17th goaltender in league history to record a shutout in its inaugural victory, as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 at Ball Arena on Saturday.
The win extended Colorado’s home point streak to 21 games. This outing marked Miner’s fifth NHL appearance and his third game of the season.
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Under head coach Jared Bednar, Colorado has been nearly unbeatable at Ball Arena, improving to 19-0-2 at home this season while extending its home winning streak to 17 games – the second longest in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history and just shy of matching the record set during the 2021-22 campaign.
“It’s impressive what the guys have done, especially at home, no doubt,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s the same as winning every night, but then it just becomes consistency to win that many in a row and not take any off nights or bad nights. Like some games are better than others, but I feel like our guys are still here to compete, and their hearts and minds are in the right place.”
Selected 202nd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Miner may feel like a longtime member of the Avalanche organization because, in many ways, he is. It wasn’t until last season – his fourth as a professional – that he was finally given an extended opportunity as the starting goalie for the Colorado Eagles. Miner made the most of it, posting a 22-10-9 record with a .918 save percentage and placing himself firmly on the Avalanche radar.
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While it seemed at times like Bednar was slow to lean on Miner due to his limited starts, that situation speaks more to the Avalanche’s depth of goal than a lack of confidence. With a strong and established goaltending group, opportunities can be hard to come by for a lesser known and less experienced goalie trying to find his place at the NHL level.
Miner took advantage of his opportunity, but at the end of the night, the only thing that really mattered to him was that they got the victory.
“In all honesty, I’m just happy we were able to get the win,” he said. “Of course it’s exciting to get my first win, but I think for us to get a win at home is just as exciting.”
Everyone appreciates a humble player, but it’s probably a day Miner will never forget.
