Aarif Deen
DENVER — St. Louis had won eight straight games coming into Ball Arena but had not yet faced anyone quite like the Avalanche.
Colorado, on the other hand, was beating anybody and everybody. The Avs were both getting goals and keeping oppositions off the board on most nights. But when the losses come, which are sporadic these days, there’s still quite a bit of good you can take away.
Sure, the late 6-on-5 attack was frustrating to see unfold. There were a ton of shots that were either blocked or missed the target. But overall, the Avs played well.
The only downside to a loss like this is that it wipes out most of that small hope they were still holding onto for home-ice advantage in Round 1.
Here’s how things broke down at Ball Arena, where the Avs lost for the first since time since Mikko Rantanen’s last game with the team.
Yes, that’s right. Martin Necas, Ryan Lindgren, Brock Nelson, and Charlie Coyle had all not yet lost at home before this one.
They all have a chance to rebound Monday though, when Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames are in town.
10 Observations
1. That final 6-on-5 push was Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin, and Nelson. That’s a whole lot of firepower on the ice all at once with guys like Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews on the bench.
I shudder when I think back to the options the team had to resort to back in November.
2. Last game was arguably the best I’ve seen from Necas since he was acquired from Carolina. This one… Likely the worst. Necas didn’t have a shot on goal, wasn’t all that effective, and had the brutal turnover that led to the Blues’ go-ahead goal to make it 2-1 midway through the third period. the worst part is, he had an opportunity to redeem himself but lost his man coming back and it just so happened to be the goal scorer.
It’s just the type of game you’ve got to shake off and hope to bounce back from.
3. Mackenzie Blackwood was not rattled at all by St. Louis’ push in the third period. He was a key piece of two successful PKs and made an insane save with 8:52 remaining off a tic-tac-toe play on the third Avs penalty. Just a calm, business-like approach to every opposing attack. You love to see that from your starter.
“He’s certainly a guy that can bail you out when you make some mistakes,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “Like that penalty kill, we make two big mistakes and he comes up big on both of those.”
4. The best Bednar quotes are the one where he’s asked something he already touched on earlier in the press conference. After I asked him about Blackwood’s performance, he mentioned that he would’ve loved to see Lindgren draw a roughing call on that hit along the boards.
Later in the press conference, another reporter asked him to clarify that he felt the Lindgren hit should’ve been a penalty. Bednar’s response was, quite funny, and brutally honest.
“I think it’s roughing. You can shoulder him as hard as you want, you could blow him up and put him into next week, I’m fine with it. But if you’re going to take your hand and hit him in the head and knock his helmet off it’s a penalty.”
5. This is two games in a row where Sam Malinski has taken a slight step back from the guy that was finding his groove. It’s unfortunate he’s being asked to play a bigger role with both Josh Manson and Erik Johnson on the shelf. He’s a crucial piece of this roster and thrives most in a limited role where he can be most effective.
6. Ross Colton took a pretty undisciplined penalty in the third period. Overall, his game has dipped slightly since the surge he had coming out of the trade deadline. Between that, Coyle still being snakebit, and Joel Kiviranta injured, the third line hasn’t lived up to the offensive expectation in the last two or so games. I still think they’ll break through. I love that combination when all three of them are healthy.
7. Speaking of Coyle, he’s such a valued leader in that locker room already. I compare him to Andrew Cogliano when he was acquired in 2022. It’s not necessarily the guy that scores a point per game that quickly gets respect from his teammates. It’s the invaluable leadership qualities he possesses that stick out. I’m excited to see what he’ll provide for this team in that aspect in the playoffs and for a full season in 2025-26.
Just got to break through that scoring slump first.
8. MacKinnon leads the NHL in faceoffs taken since Rantanen was traded and it’s not even close. It’s fascinating to see him suddenly excel at something he was never really all that good at. It’s even more telling that he’s trusted to take this many draws even after the Jack Drury, Nelson, and Coyle acquisitions.
MacKinnon has taken 537 faceoffs and is sporting a very strong 53.1% success rate. Second place since Jan. 25 is Dylan Larkin at 491.
9. If you’re the Winnipeg Jets, you’re probably hoping the Blues keep winning and pass the Minnesota Wild in the wildcard standings. I don’t think St. Louis is the team you’d expect to play after finishing with the No. 1 seed. The Wild on the other hand…
10. It’s a tough loss to swallow for those who still were hoping to see Colorado catch Dallas in the standings and secure home ice in the first round. It’s even more frustrating when you realize just how easy the Stars’ schedule is the rest of the way. Which, honestly, might be a good thing for the Avs. Could you imagine cruising along against a bunch of bad teams and then suddenly having to face Colorado every other night?
Dallas plays Seattle twice, followed by Nashville, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Utah, Detroit and Nashville again. Outside of the Jets, it’s all pretty smooth sailing.