The Colorado Avalanche have been in unfamiliar territory, going 2-6 in their last eight games. The latest loss has come against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Avalanche have been outscored 35-24 in that span, and it’s been due to a combination of poor offensive outputs and some defensive lapses. On Wednesday, the Avs lost 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators. In that game, a lot of mistakes were made. Several turnovers led to goals for the Senators, and some of those came in the Avs’ own zone. They just could not move the puck easily in that game.
On Thursday against Montreal, The Avalanche were eventually able to get shots on net, but not as successfully as their opponent. The Avalanche got one back in the third period to make it 5-3 and in reach, but the Canadiens ended up scoring almost immediately afterwards.
In the end, Montreal came away with the 7-3 win. It was just plain ugly.
After being out since January 21, Ross Colton re-entered the lineup and put up a goal of his own in the third period. While he did miss some time, he still hadn’t scored since November 26 against the San Jose Sharks. It’s good to see him get back on the score sheet. Colton has been rumored to be a trade candidate of the Avalanche as we head towards the Olympic break. Maybe if the Avalanche continnue to struggle up until the break, general manager Chris MacFarland will pull the move off to acquire some depth.
The Avalanche desperately need to get their captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Devon Toews back into the lineup. They need their leader back on the ice and they need Cale Makar’s linemate back. The team has been struggling mightily, especially in the defensive department.
The Avs’ power play also continues to be a major issue, as they failed to score again. Through January 29, they are 21-of-149 for conversion rate of 16.8 percent.
When the playoffs come around, the Avalanche’s power play struggles are going to show. They cannot continue this tragic slump if they want to make it out of the first round. It’s just as simple as that. Penalties are going to come. That’s a guarantee. They just have to make sure going 0-for-whatever is not a guarantee in those games that are most important.
There’s time for the Avalanche to get things back on track, but in regards to the power play, there’s not really much of an indication that they are able to get the job done.
As far as their latest slump, it’s possible they get back on track in their winning ways. They still lead the league with 70 points, with the Hurricanes on their tail, but in the Metro Division. The Avs might still win the President’s trophy, though as many fans have pointed out, they may not want to win that, as the winner of it has rarely ended the postseason hoisting the Stanley Cup.
It’s a rough time for Avs Faithful right now, but things can always get better.