What was once the hottest team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche have been sliding of late. They had an impressive win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday, setting the stage for a divisional showdown with the Minnesota Wild on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Avalanche needed more than they got, ultimately falling to the Wild 3-1. The Avalanche now find themselves staring at a 5-4-1 record over their last 10 games as the gap between them and the Winnipeg Jets continues to grow. Let’s get into the takeaways from this loss to the Wild.
The Offense Desperately Misses Nichushkin
The Avalanche are going to be a high-powered offense so long as their big three remain in the lineup. That said, there is clearly something missing since Valeri Nichushkin has been out of the lineup dealing with an apparent foot injury.
With 11 goals and 17 points in 21 games, Nichushkin was rounding into form after a quiet start since returning from suspension. Playing with the big guns like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen certainly helps, but anyone could see that Nuke was taking his game to a new level.
Speculation has him returning for a critical division matchup on Wednesday night against the Jets. Getting him back into the lineup would be a nice boost and could energize the group in what is one of the most important games of the season to date.
The Avalanche Need More From Mittelstadt
Since the new year began, Mittelstadt has five points in 10 games. That said, three of them – including his lone goal – came in the win over Dallas. As much as they need Nichushkin back and contributing, they need to get so much more out of the second-line center spot that Mittelstadt was supposed to be the solution for.
Related: Flames & Avalanche Should Match Up for Blockbuster Trade Involving Kadri
The trade for Mackenzie Blackwood has solved the biggest issue facing the Avalanche. The trade for Mittelstadt was supposed to remedy the gap left when Nazem Kadri departed for Calgary. He has had his moments, but inconsistency has plagued Mittelstadt, especially after a hot start.
It doesn’t help matters that Mittelstadt isn’t great defensively and is terrible in the faceoff circle (another issue for the Avalanche). If he isn’t going to get on the stat sheet, he needs to find a way to impact the game in a positive way. He’s just not doing that right now.
Too Many Defensive Lapses
Without taking credit away from the Wild, who looked to have more jump to their game as a whole, the Avalanche were bad on the defensive end of the ice. The most glaring issues came in the middle of the ice and the Wild took advantage by winning the battle in front and making life hard on Blackwood.
Blackwood erases a lot of mistakes that the Avalanche make, but no goaltender is perfect. On two of the Wild goals, they were able to get right into the middle of the ice and take a clean shot. Even the goal by Jake Middleton to kick things off came from just north of the top of the circles and he had more time than any defenseman should.
If there is one complaint about the Avalanche, it’s that they could use a little more jam. Teams like the Wild give them a tough time and make them work overtime to deal with the middle of the ice. On Monday, they failed that test.
Wednesday Is Big
There’s nothing left to do but dust themselves off and regroup for Wednesday. The Avalanche are three points back of the Wild for second in the division and a whopping eight points back of the Jets for the top spot. If there are going to be any hopes of a division title, the Avalanche have to go on another heater.
It starts with the Jets on Wednesday. Getting Nichushkin back would be very helpful. The same goes for Miles Wood. When the Avalanche are rolling, the entire lineup delivers. That has been distinctly missing of late and needs to be remedied.
