Adrian Dater
No, I’m not worried. A tad bit alarmed? Yes.
The Avs have now lost three in a row, after Friday night’s 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. This has become something of a haunted building for the Avs now. They spent nearly 50 days there in the Covid bubble over 2020 (my full account of what that was like, as the only Denver media person there, is here). They lost a Game 7 to Dallas in the second round, and things certainly didn’t go well tonight.
I will only be truly terrified of this team’s chances – at least I feel right now – if Devon Toews can’t play. I mean, do we not know even more how important that guy is/was to this team’s play, in the last three games?
Toews will be back by next week I’m sure, along with Erik Johnson. For me, getting more time for those two guys, and less time for Sam Girard and Josh Manson, is exactly what this team needs.
Girard and Manson were each a -3 tonight as a pairing – continuing poor play from the previous team games. That, combined with iffy goaltending from Darcy Kuemper and spotty play from most forwards besides Valeri Nichushkin – were the main factors in another loss tonight.
Yeah, the No. 1 spot in the West remains firmly wrapped up, but this is a third loss in a row for a team everybody was starting to think was invincible. That includes a terrible effort two nights ago in a loss to expansion Seattle. Give all the excuses you want about “We already have it wrapped up, we’re a little tired, these games don’t matter.” Fact is, great teams don’t let this happen.
Now, we have to worry about bad habits creeping in. I thought the Avs would just look much hungrier tonight than that. Instead, the Avs played like a bunch of sloths too much of the time.