Colorado Avalanche, inconsistency is thy name. The Avs failed to show up against the Nashville Predators at home on Sunday night.
The club dropped a 6-2 decision to their division rivals, failing to really get anything going. But what’s more concerning than just losing the game is the fact that the Avalanche have been woefully inconsistent this season.
The Avs were coming off a solid 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night. And things looked a bit easier for Colorado, as they were catching the Preds on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Nashville was coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and, well, there couldn’t have been a better chance for Colorado to drop the hammer.
Instead, the Avalanche allowed the Predators to get off to an early two-goal lead. And that was pretty much the story of the night. The game was 5-0 before the Avalanche chipped away at the lead. While it looked like they might have been a miraculous comeback on the horizon, Steven Stamkos put the kibosh on any hopes with a power play goal to make the game 6-2.
Perhaps the most telling number of the entire night was the lopsided shot count. The Predators outshot the Avalanche 35-21, making it seem like it was Colorado that was playing on consecutive nights.
Of note, Fedor Svechkov was benched late in the third period. It was that sort of night for the Avalanche, highlighting the concerning trade befalling the club.
Svechkov was benched the entire 3rd, and he was indeed on the bench. https://t.co/z3M1csoxiX
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) October 26, 2026
Avalanche left Scott Wedgewood out to dry again
It should be noted that Sunday night wasn’t the first time that the Avalanche have left Scott Wedgewood out to dry this season.
The first time they did it was another no-show. On that occasion, the Avs lost to the New Jersey Devils 4-3, making the score close only because they managed two late goals in the game. The entire night, however, the Avalanche didn’t do much at all.
At least that October 20 game in New Jersey was on the second night of a back-to-back. That served as some sort of excuse for the poor outing.
Sunday night, unfortunately, has no real explanation.
The Avalanche just did not assert themselves in the early going. By the time they tried to get something going, the game was well out of reach.
Penalty kill did Colorado in against Predators
If there’s one area worth pinpointing, it’s the penalty kill. The Predators went 4-for-7 on the night. If you take away those four power play goals, the game is 2-2 and winnable for Colorado.
The problem isn’t necessarily the penalty kill itself. Yes, the Avalanche had no business taking seven penalties on the night. But what made it even worse was the fact that the Avs couldn’t do anything to stop Nashville.
Incidentally, the Avs went 0-for4 with the man advantage. Again, you would have to think that if Colorado had scored on any of those power play opportunities, the momentum could have swung.
But they didn’t, and that’s pretty much the story of the night.
The Avalanche will have a few days to regroup. They’ll be on the ice next Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils at home, with the prospect of Connor Hellebuyck making his Devils debut.
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