10 Observations: Avalanche Get 1 Point in First Back-to-Back

The Avalanche’s 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils was their fourth game to end past regulation. They’ve lost every single one.

On one hand, Colorado is 5-1-4, which is good for 14 out of a possible 20 points through the first 10 games. But on the other hand, they’ve only won half their games, their top superstars are irresponsible in OT, and they’re riding a four-game slide (0-1-3) into a rematch against the NHL-leading New Jersey Devils.

It’s funny how quickly things could change, right?

Valeri Nichushkin, MacKinnon, and Brock Nelson had goals for the Avs. They looked like the better team, which was especially impressive given that this game started about 19 hours after the last one ended.

It wasn’t a weekend of bad hockey by any means. But Colorado played two winnable games and lost both. And it’s the same patterns that continue to hurt them.

They can’t score on the PP.

They can’t win in OT.

Now, they’ll look to get back into the winning column on home ice, with hopes of ending their four-game slide and New Jersey’s eight-game winning streak.

Questions about goaltending are still very much a thing. And it’s anybody’s guess how we’ll see the forwards line up. Colorado won’t practice on Monday before Tuesday’s morning skate.

From the weekend that was, here are my thoughts on Colorado’s 0-1-1 run in two matinée games on the East Coast.

Four points were on the table. The Avalanche got one.

10 Observations

1. I don’t think it ended up being the biggest factor, but I’m still confused by the decision to start Scott Wedgewood against a Bruins team that had six straight losses and doesn’t take a lot of shots. And then going with Trent Miner against the hottest team in the league.

Miner played a solid game after the first period, but he let in a softy that he’d probably want back. Would Wedgewood have done better if the roles were reversed? Maybe. But it was still a curious choice.

You have to wonder what they’re going to do if Mackenzie Blackwood isn’t ready soon. It does look like he’s getting really close, but we haven’t yet gotten a date for his return. I asked Jared Bednar on the eve of the regular season about picking up a goalie from waivers, and he said that wasn’t in the plans.

That decision might come back to bite them if Blackwood takes longer than expected, and they don’t have the trust to give Miner more starts. It becomes even worse if Wedgewood struggles for another game or two.

After New Jersey on Tuesday, the Avs play back to back road games against Vegas and San Jose starting Friday.

2. I liked seeing Bednar shake up the forward lines against the Devils. The top line has been producing, but other lines have had way too many guys struggling to put one in. Nelson finally scored on a goal assisted by Ross Colton.

Colton and Olofsson both saw shifts on the second line, with Gabe Landeskog moving down to the third line with Jack Drury.

3. Jack Ahcan looked better, at least to me, than Ilya Solovyov in previous games. Already without Samuel Girard, one more injury to the blueline would reveal just how little depth they have back there.

I liked the addition of Brent Burns this summer because it’s a dependable guy who plays big minutes and doesn’t miss games. They need another one of those in a depth role.

4. Valeri Nichushkin has awoken, and I’m still waiting for him to get a look on the top line. I’m starting to wonder if they should put him in the Martin Necas spot instead to give the second line a guy that can drive play in No. 88.

Nichushkin has five goals in 10 games. Last year he had 21 in 43 and the year before he scored 28 in 54. I don’t think people around the league realize how consistently he scores goals. This is a 41-goal guy every single year if healthy.

5. The Avs haven’t scored a shorthanded goal yet this season, and the Logan O’Connor injury likely has something to do with that. I wondered if they were one of the last teams to not have a shorthanded goal yet, so I looked it up. I was surprised to see that only 15 teams have scored shorthanded. The Avs are one of 17 teams without at least one.

6. I didn’t mean to go this long without talking about the power play. The Avalanche were 0-for-2 against the Devils on the PP, albeit one of those opportunities was only 53 seconds long. Still, they are 30th in the league on the man advantage, and that’s just not going to cut it.

If they were middle of the pack, we might be talking about an 8-0-2 team right now.

7. My PP fix? Find a role for Necas on the top unit that isn’t the one-timer spot. MacKinnon has excelled there for years. Having both of them alternate into that spot at any given moment has hurt No. 29s production on the PP.

I know Necas was successful there with Carolina, but now both guys are hurting. Give MacKinnon that spot, find a way for Necas to develop into a different role.

8. I’ve now suggested Necas plays on the second line and finds a new role on the PP. Would the Avs do any of this while still trying to negotiate a contract extension with him?

I’ve not been a fan of this season starting without an extension for many reasons, and this is one of them. You have to cater to the player to help convince him to sign on the dotted line.

9. Is there a more consistent performer on this team than Artturi Lehkonen? I’m always surprised to see how well he produces, and maybe that’s my fault. But 11 points in 10 games is a great start, even if he’s riding shotgun with MacKinnon and Necas.

10. I was surprised to see that a secondary assist on Sunday was the first point for Devon Toews this season. Last year, he had just two assists in the first 10 games before finishing with 44 in 76. So I wouldn’t necessarily be concerned. It just shocked me a little bit.