The Colorado Avalanche had a busy weekend with a matinee against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, followed by a trip to New Jersey on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, the results were the same on both days.
The Avalanche forced overtime with a late tally but fell in the extra frame for the fourth time this season. There is a lot to talk about, so let’s get into the takeaways from the Avalanche’s 4-3 overtime loss on Sunday afternoon.
The Goaltending Situation is Becoming Troublesome
The lineup is what it is right now as a few key pieces are out for the time being. The real trouble appears to be in net. There still isn’t a clear timetable on when Mackenzie Blackwood will be back, and it is clear that they don’t have a ton of confidence in Trent Miner despite giving him the start against New Jersey.
Scott Wedgewood has done more than anyone could have asked for, but starting the first nine games of the season is too much for a career backup. Miner was merely okay against the Devils, allowing a couple of goals that may have been nice shots but should have ultimately been turned aside.
The Avalanche either didn’t have an idea about how long Blackwood would be out or planned poorly in being prepared for his absence. Expect to see Wedgewood consistently until Blackwood returns, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.
Turnovers are Becoming a Big Issue
There is a lot of talk about the power play and rightfully so. For a unit with that kind of talent, being in the bottom handful of teams in the league in power play percentage is inexcusable. But there is another issue that garners more attention: turnovers.
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The Avalanche lead the league in giveaways with 177 and are fourth-worst in high danger shots against. They are far and away the worst team in the league when it comes to defensive zone giveaways with 93 (the New York Rangers are next with 75).
Talented, experienced teams tend to play a bit looser than others, but this is getting to a detrimental point. Goaltending and the power play have been issues for different reasons, but turnovers are clearly the biggest issue facing the Avalanche right now.
The Early Deficits are Problematic
The turnovers are really bad, but it also doesn’t help when you spot the opposition a lead as often as the Avalanche do. They trailed 4-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period. The Bruins got the lead on Saturday. The Devils had a 2-0 lead in the first period on Sunday.
It doesn’t matter how good of a team you are or how much offensive firepower you have. The more often you play from behind, the more often you are likely to lose. The fact that the Avalanche only have one regulation loss is a testament to how good they are given the number of deficits they have faced.
The previous takeaway and this one go hand in hand. Stop turning the puck over, particularly in your own zone, and the early deficits will stop happening. The Avalanche have been playing with fire so far yet are second in the Western Conference in points. That’s fortunate.
Need to Turn Some of These Overtime Losses into Wins
The positive side of things is that the Avalanche are at least getting a point out of the majority of these losses. That said, the Avalanche have five losses already. A few bounces here and there and the Avalanche would be in eighth or ninth in the West instead.
The good news is that the Avalanche have a ton of talent and experience. They have gotten out of worse situations before. The biggest issues can (in theory) be cleaned up and corrected. There is a lot of season to go and the Avalanche are still in a very good spot despite the issues.
