There is something really rotten about how the Colorado Avalanche have lost their last two games. It’s not that they dropped both. It’s that they’ve looked listless, lifeless and lethargic. They’ve been slow and have spent most of the last 120 minutes of hockey chasing the play.
This isn’t the Avalanche we know, and it’s likely not the Avalanche we’ll see for the rest of the season. But right now, as head coach Jared Bednar put it, they’re going to need to do some soul-searching.
My thoughts on a poor two-game road trip.
Also Read:Postgame: Avalanche’s Late Goals Can’t Hide Another Poor Effort10 Takeaways
1. It’s really strange how quickly things have flipped for the Avalanche. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was writing about how the second period had become an issue for Colorado. That came after the Avs gave up three goals on four shots to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle frame and surrendered three goals to the Los Angeles Kings in that same period.
Now, it’s the first period that’s hurting them. The slow starts have become a problem. Colorado gave up two goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins before getting going in that game. Against the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils, they’ve surrendered the first goal both times and been outshot by a combined 28-12 in the opening periods.
2. It took until Jan. 4-6 last season for Nathan MacKinnon to go consecutive games without recording a point. He failed to get on the scoresheet in either of Colorado’s last two games.
3. Faceoffs are becoming an issue. The Avalanche won just 20 draws and lost 37 against the Devils. I’ve seen debates over the years about whether faceoff success rates matter as much as we think they do, and I’m willing to hear those arguments out. But when the gap is this big, and you’re winning just 35% of your draws, it’s a problem. It’s part of why you’re spending so much time chasing the game.
4.Nazem Kadri is going to bury one of these chances at some point, right? He’s as snakebitten as they come, even as Bednar continues to trot him out there for 20+ minutes per night. He’s done enough to deserve that ice time, at least in my opinion, but my goodness, he needs to get one in the back of the net to end this drought.
5. This was a pretty shocking stat to see, courtesy of my colleague Corey Masisak of the Denver Post. Before Tuesday in New Jersey, the Avalanche hadn’t allowed 40+ shots on goal in a game since Dec. 12. Before that, they’d done it only one other time since the start of the 2024-25 season.
They’re essentially averaging one game per season in which they give up 40+ shots. Insane.
6. Amid all the bad stuff, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate Cale Makar’s play on the Avalanche’s first goal in New Jersey. That was incredible.
7. When you look at their record, it’s not necessarily as alarming as all of this sounds. The Avs are 5-4-1 through 10 games, just above hockey .500, and they’ve still had more good games than bad ones. Don’t forget that before this three-game stretch against Eastern Conference teams, Colorado played two very strong games against the Dallas Stars.
8. Bednar often talks about breaking the season into 10-game segments and typically pushes for six or more wins in each one. The Avalanche fell short of that mark this time, but there’s no reason they can’t turn things around over the next 10 games.
And again, it’s not the record so much as how some of these games have played out. The power-play struggles have continued, and the way Colorado has lost control of these last two games makes this stretch feel worse. Especially since that’s the most recent performances.
For some perspective, Colorado went 5-1-4 in its first 10 games last season before going on to win 55 games and capture the Presidents’ Trophy.
9. One last bright spot: Let’s not downplay how much the lack of a 12th forward has hurt this team. That’s especially true with Nic Roy among the players out. To me, he’s one of the more underrated and underappreciated pieces of this lineup. He can be used in pretty much any situation and play on any line. Missing that kind of versatility hurts.
So does the absence of Logan O’Connor, although that ends Friday when the Avalanche return to action.
10. Once O’Connor and Roy are both back, I’d like to see the Avs try a lineup similar to the one I wrote about in August. Put T.J. Hughes on the second line with Brock Nelson and Gabe Landeskog, and have Kadri center a third line with Jaden Schwartz and Roy.
That would finally allow Fedor Svechkov to take on the Jack Drury role and center the fourth line with Parker Kelly and O’Connor.
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