The Colorado Avalanche suffered a surprising loss on Saturday night at home against the Montreal Canadiens. The 2-1 shootout loss may come as a shock on the surface. But when looking at the situation closely, the loss wasn’t that surprising.
The Montreal Canadiens have seemingly turned things around over the last three weeks or so. They came out of the Christmas break fired up and have begun climbing the standings in the Eastern Conference.
Moreover, the Habs have found success against teams like the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights. But the most interesting situation of all is the emergence of young goalie Jakub Dobes.
The Canadiens have faced similar goaltending issues as the Avs have faced this season. Their stater, Samuel Montembeault, hasn’t been stellar but has gotten the job done. However, their backup goaltending situation was atrocious.
So, that opened the door for Czech prospect Dobes. He blanked the Florida Panthers in his first NHL start and then stymied the Colorado Avalanche in his second outing. He gave up one goal against the Avs and then shut the door.
I have to say I was impressed with the save Dobes made against Artturi Lehkonen in overtime. The power play the Canadiens got in overtime looked weak. They had a golden chance to end the game there, and just couldn’t get much going.
Then, Lehkonen came out of the penalty box. The Canadiens players had given up on the play, leaving Dobes alone to face Lehkonen. And, Dobes made a huge stop to keep the game tied. Kudos to the young netminder for standing up to two of the league’s best teams.
Colorado Avalanche loss to Canadiens should be of no concern
The loss to the Montreal Canadiens should be of no concern to the Colorado Avalanche. They lost a tough game against a team that has been playing well recently. That sort of thing happens in all sports.
Now, I will say that given the way the Avalanche came back against the Buffalo Sabres, a team that is arguably the worst in the league at the moment, could be mildly concerning.
However, there’s no need to push the panic button at this point. The Avs are playing well. MacKenzie Blackwood looks like the real deal, and the Avs are producing on the scoreboard.
The key will be for Colorado to maintain their momentum heading into the second half of the season. While the loss of Scott Wedgewood stung, again, there’s no reason to push the panic button.
The Avalanche are as good a team as they come. The crucial thing is for the club to stay focused and continue battling with the heart and tenacity they’ve shown all season long. Given the way other teams in the Central Division have played, there’s no ruling out the Avs could come back to finish first in the Central.