Dater column: Avalanche beat themselves in Game 2

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – Two failed clearouts. Two easy, but failed, clearouts. If either Matt Nieto or Ian Cole are able to just convert one of their two easy clearout opportunities midway through the second period of a game in which the Avalanche had a two-goal lead, the Avs win Game 2 and the series is even. I’m totally convinced that’s what would have happened.

But neither Nieto nor Cole could make either one of those easy clearouts, and it was pure disaster for the Avs as a result.

The Avs beat themselves in Game 2 here Monday night. No question about it. The fact that they are down 2-0 to the Dallas Stars in the best-of-seven series is because of one a series of errors in a span of one minute, 37 seconds.