The Colorado Avalanche have been struggling since the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off. They dropped a 2-1 decision to the Nashville Predators, then followed it up with a 3-1 loss to the Blues in one of the most disappointing, lackluster efforts of the season.
Coming into Wednesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, they needed a rebound. In what was easily the best game the Avalanche have had in weeks, they dominated the Devils to the tune of 5-1. Let’s get into the takeaways from a big Avalanche win.
Nate Mack Is Back
Nathan MacKinnon was on fire going into the 4 Nations, piling up a goal and six assists in back-to-back wins before the break. Coming out of it, unfortunately, he and the rest of the Avalanche were as quiet as could be.
Against the Devils, you could refer to it as the return of the Mack. He assisted on Artturi Lehkonen’s first period goal, but that was just the beginning. MacKinnon was the difference-maker in the third period, scoring a pair of power play goals.
Even more impressively, he batted the second one out of the air after it rebounded and ricocheted off the back of the net. It was vintage Nathan MacKinnon, something the Avalanche really needed after a miserable end to their road trip.
Secondary Scoring Actually Showed Up
One of the biggest talking points about the Avalanche lately has been the lack of secondary scoring. It didn’t just dry up it became completely barren. Naturally, that spawned a litany of trade posts and rumors about which players the Avalanche should potentially target.
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Casey Mittelstadt scored for the first time in 12 games and Logan O’Connor finished the scoring, getting his first in 13 games. It’s nice that they got on the board, but Jake Allen had tremendous difficulty handling rebounds on the night, directly leading to at least three goals.
Again, it’s nice that secondary scoring did something, but both goals came with less than five minutes to go and the Avalanche holding a two-goal lead. If the Avalanche are going to be serious contenders, they need greater contributions in moments that matter.
A Complete Effort
There are more than a few things that you can complain about when it comes to the Avalanche’s play of late. The one thing that really stood out in the two losses following the 4 Nations Face-Off is the lack of jump and urgency that the team displayed.
It wasn’t just that the team was losing or not scoring, it felt like everyone was just kind of going through the motions. Against the Devils, they came out with some jump and controlled the play even though it was just 1-0 going into the third period.
Fatigue and “off” nights are going to happen because the season is so long. But for a team like the Avalanche, trying to get into a more favorable playoff seed, there can’t be more than a handful of “off” nights. This kind of effort (and result) was exactly what they needed.
That’s How You Rebound
Bad losses are no fun for anyone, but the only way to really put it behind you is to come out and have a great effort. Trouncing a team like the Devils is a great confidence boost after two disappointing, low-scoring efforts to finish out the road trip.
The key is to carry that momentum forward. The next five games are favorable and offer a good chance for the Avalanche to build on these positive vibes. The next game, a home date against the Minnesota Wild, could have major implications on the battle for one of the seeds behind the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division.
