Colorado Avalanche falter in consecutive games; looking for turnaround

The Colorado Avalanche found themselves on the wrong end of back-to-back shutouts on the East Coast. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres both issued the Colorado Avalanche shutout losses with 4-0 victories, leaving the Avs seeking answers after their hot start to the season. Many will point to the extensive workload the starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has been given, but he is expected to be the workhorse of the Avalanche for much of the season. Others will point to some questionable defensive play and decisions made on the ice that have led to pristine scoring opportunities for opposing teams.  Should the fans be worried? Not really. The reason why you shouldn’t panic? His name is Jared Bednar.

This is HIS team and he’s proven to be a phenomenal coach, even when many were calling for his dismissal during his initial contract with the team. Jared Bednar has been a proven winner at every level, claiming a championship title at the ECHL, AHL, and NHL levels. He is the only current NHL head coach who has won a title in each of those divisions of hockey.

The roster this season appears to be more leveled across all four lines, but there may be a bit of chemistry issues going on. Or perhaps Bednar has jumped the gun in mixing up the lines. Whatever the case may be, the Avs have had these minor bumps in the road in the last few seasons. Jared Bednar is in his eighth year with the Avalanche, and is the winningest coach in Colorado Avalanche history, so he is bound to figure it out.

Some may say the absence of Gabriel Landeskog is starting to wear on the team, but this is the best chance for other leaders to step up and take a stand for the team. I expect a player-only meeting may have occurred, but it won’t be announced to the public until potentially months after the fact. We saw Nathan MacKinnon step up and voice his opinions during the last few minutes of the second period against the Buffalo Sabres. The interaction between MacKinnon and the referees resulted in Nathan being given a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, and an additional ten-minute game misconduct for additional wording that was used towards the refs. The team will rebound, as most teams do. After all, they are only eight games into the regular season.

With 74 games remaining in the season, the time to panic is not right now. The earliest time to pass judgment comes at the end of November. Not to ignore the rut, the Avs do need to find an answer for the ongoing lack of goal-scoring after their outburst against the Islanders last Tuesday. Jared Bednar will “Find A Way”, and the Avalanche will rebound into competitive form sooner rather than later. Save panic mode for late December, and let’s count our blessings that injuries aren’t the issue.