The Colorado Avalanche have lost two-straight games to the Dallas Stars in their first round series of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup series. This comes after they beat Dallas quite easily by a score of 5-1 last Saturday.
It was a fun end to the regular season, where we went back and forth on who Colorado was officially going to face in the first round. The way the points were so close among teams in the conference, though the likelihood was high that the Avalanche would face Dallas in Series 1, it wasn’t official until late in the year. Now, they trail the Stars 2-1 in the series and Saturday’s Game 4 is the most important game they have played all year.
We know that Colorado has what it takes to beat Dallas, and absolutely take control of a game. It just feels as if the Avs’ changes/adjustments didn’t fit those of the Stars. Going 0-6 on the power play was a huge factor in their heartbreaking loss Wednesday. What has all of Avs Faithful been saying for a long time now? Shoot the puck! Shoot the puck! It just seems as though the Avalanche don’t take those chances. You can’t win if you don’t shoot the puck. They just try to get the perfect shot when they should be trying to get every shot.
I have liked the Avalanche’s physicallity in the postseason, especially with the return of Gabriel Landeskog (Wow, it feels good to type that). However, from what I’ve noticed, Dallas is matching that part of the game, too. The Avs have to find a way to up the intensity while keeping the Stars at bay. That is one of the biggest keys to the remaining games in the series. If you get out-physicalled, you get outplayed. It’s really as simple as that.
Ideally, the Avalanche would gain a lead early in the game. How much of a lead? The obvious hope is a 3-goal lead, but 2-0 would be a good start. They need to solve Jake Oettinger early and often. Make the Stars have to work hard. Make things very difficult for them. If they don’t, we might see another slow game like Wednesday’s. We want exciting hockey. We don’t want a 1-0 result.
Personally, I am concerned that Colorado lost at home, as Ball Arena is known for being a great place to play, especially with the altitude advantage. I would just hope that “any given game day” is still a thing in sports and no matter where the game is played, the Avalanche would come out on top when it matters most. It continues Saturday at home, with the venue changing every game the rest of the way.
We should not have to rely on Mackenzie Blackwood to come and bail the Colorado Avalanche out, something he almost pulled off on Wednesday. That’s not sustainable and it’s never a good way to win hockey games. The Avs need to play much better and they know it. Now let’s see if they’re capable of putting themselves to the test in the most important game of the season so far.