Avalanche Locker Room: Need to Find ‘Another Level’ Against Good Teams

Jared Bednar said his Colorado Avalanche need to find “another level” against these good teams. Having lost three straight games against teams they could realistically play in the postseason, he’s not wrong.

Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t think there’s much to learn from this game. Cale Makar thinks otherwise.

Watch what the two Avalanche stars had to say after the loss, and read what Jared Bednar had to say after the game.

Bednar on his team’s game:

I thought we had decent energy level. I think we played…an okay game. I thought it was a pretty evenly played game for large portions of it. We know they’re a stingy team defensively, we have to be the same way, or you’re not going to win. In order to score, we have to be really determined to get to the net, make enough plays on the perimeter to be able to get pucks in there and track down some rebounds, deflections. I thought their ‘D’ and low forward did a really nice job keeping us away from that. Whether we weren’t determined enough, I’d have to look back at it.

On the flip side of that, I just thought they had a little bit more competitiveness and jam around our net front, and we didn’t do the job in front of our net that they did. The first goal, we make a mistake on the pinch with no “F-3” and they get the two-on one. Bad read, it’s a pretty easy goal for them, right? Second one, I’d like to see Georgie have it. Goal three, net front, in-zone coverage, he outworks our guy, gets the puck he wants, puts it past Georgie. Goal four, we’re going for a face-off win, we don’t get the seal out and they deflect it and he’s all alone. We didn’t get those opportunities at the top of the crease, so they won the net front and they won the game.

Bednar on lessons from the game:

There’ll be a couple things. Number one, I think we have another level yet against these good teams that we have to get too with the passion of our game, the intensity of our game. The competitiveness in those important areas, net front, we weren’t good enough. The scoring chances against weren’t real high, I just didn’t like a couple of the ones we gave up. They just seem too easy.

Bednar on the Avalanche powerplay:

I think our powerplay had a couple chances at key times in the game where we could have got back into that game a little quicker, and we were a little stubborn with the puck at the blueline. They kept breaking it up and sending it down. I think there has to be a mentality that if they stuff us once or twice, that we have to put it in and win a battle to be able to play, which is what we did on the one we scored on. We have to be better than what we were, let’s put it that way.

On giving up a goal right after scoring:

Well, it’s deflating because you’re right back to where we started. Again, we played catch-up hockey because a couple of the decisions we made early in the game, but it’s deflating because you feel like you’re right there, and you know they’re a difficult team to score against. Again, I’m going to repeat it, I think there is another level of determination and passion that we can play with if we want to win against good teams.

Bednar on how the Avalanche find another level:

It’s a focus and determination, a passion and deep desire and want and will to win. Again, it wasn’t a horribly played hockey game from us, but we didn’t get the result we wanted. I just can’t help but feel like there’s still another gear for us to get too.