The Colorado Avalanche’s 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night was the club’s fifth loss in seven games. The mini slump has begun to raise some eyebrows. After the Avalanche embarrassed the Senators in their previous meeting, the Senators fought back with a solid win.
You could argue that the Senators came ready to exact revenge on their previous loss. That’s a fair point. But when considering how the Avs walked all over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the game before, it’s a fair to assume that something may be up.
In this case, Occam’s Razor is perhaps the best answer. The grind of the season has finally started to catch up to the Avalanche. The condensed schedule has been brutal, with some teams limping to the Olympic break. That could very well be what’s afflicting Colorado at this point.
If that’s the issue, the Olympic break should be a very good thing for the club in general terms. The rest will do well to help ailing players recover, while giving everyone a much-needed mental break.
There’s also something else to consider. Grinding stretches often lead to bad habits becoming the norm. It’s tough to see such habits forming, and without adequate practice time, addressing isn’t always simple.
That assertion could be a simplistic one. But there could be another more complex one that might be a bad sign for the Avalanche.
Other teams adjusting to Avalanche playing style
The Avalanche playing style focuses on speed, puck movement, and shooting. The Avs get pucks on net, relying on deflections, rebounds, and tip-ins for goals. This approach is one reason why Brent Burns has been so successful this season. The veteran blueliner gets pucks on net and the guys in front can reap the benefits.
When that fails, the Avalanche have Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and Cale Makar who can carve up opposing defenses like a Thanksgiving turkey.
But what happens when other clubs play a grinding, dump-and-chase style? That’s what clubs like the Senators excel at. They dump pucks, grind along the boards, crash the net, and try their best to gum up the middle of the ice. That’s how the Dallas Stars beat the Avalanche during last season’s playoff series. When spaces opened up, a star scorer like Mikko Rantanen did his best to exploit open spaces.
That’s something that the Avalanche will have a chance to address during the Olympic break. It’s not that Colorado will suddenly become a dump-and-chase team. They’ll have the opportunity to go back to the drawing board and reset their strategies to counteract the adjustments other teams have made.
Ultimately, the Olympic break will come at the right time for the Avalanche. The post-Olympic sprint will be a tough one. So, the Avs need to be ready to hit the ground running.