The Avalanche survived, but it was another ugly affair.

Here are three takeaways from Game 2.

1. Game 1 felt a little sterile for playoff hockey. This game … did not. There was some genuine hate between these two teams, which is what playoff hockey is all about. The Avalanche haven’t been happy with Brandt Clarke and some of the cheap shots he’s taken all season long and took several runs at him. Mikey Anderson hit Martin Necas up high in the neutral zone (bit of a suicide pass by Sam Malinski), which caused Necas to briefly leave the game. There was a lot more physicality to this game, perhaps too much because the Avalanche don’t really want to get focused on that.
2. As physical as it was, the reffing was atrocious. There were far too many soft calls for playoff hockey, which led to absolutely zero flow. Cale Makar lifted the stick of Quinton Byfield on a breakaway and looked to get all stick, but the refs not only called a penalty, but gave Byfield a penalty shot. It’s a quick game and hard to catch everything in real time, but these types of calls can change the momentum of a series. Just an unacceptable level of reffing for the postseason.
3. Through two games, the Kings have done a great job of limiting rush chances for the Avalanche. When the Avalanche did get rush chances on Tuesday, they got a little too fancy, overpassing when they had good looks at the net. With scoring chances coming few and far between, Colorado needs to be a lot more selfish with the puck.