3 Takeaways From the Avalanche’s 3-2 Loss to the Flyers

After splitting a pair of 3-2 decisions with the Dallas Stars, the Colorado Avalanche had to have felt ready to tackle a more favorable stretch of the schedule. In a stretch that features the New Jersey Devils (twice), Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, and Chicago Blackhawks, the Avalanche needed to get started with a win in Philadelphia on Monday.

To the surprise of just about everyone, the Avalanche never really got going on Monday night. Instead, they fell behind early and couldn’t quite manage to catch up, dropping a surprising 3-2 decision to the Flyers.

Net Front Defense Was a Problem

Public perception of the Avalanche is that they are arguably the most talented roster in the league with some potential issues in net. This game, however, you cannot blame the efforts of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood for the result.

All three goals came as the result of traffic that made it nearly impossible for Blackwood to even really have a chance. He turned aside 21 of 24 shots on the night and could have been helped out by his defense.

While the Flyers sold out to stop the Avalanche (24 blocked shots), the effort wasn’t as inspired in the Colorado end. Avalanche defenders have to do a better job of clearing the muck and giving Blackwood a chance to make the stop.

The Effort Was Uninspired

The reality of the situation is that this is just one of those games where every seems a bit slower and uninspired. Expecting 100% effort in 84 games just isn’t realistic and this is a game in which a superior team (the Avalanche) sleepwalked through the proceedings.

Generally, the Avalanche are heavily outshooting their opponents but that wasn’t the case on Monday night. The Avalanche were significantly outshot in the first period and only marginally better as the night wore on.

That’s not to excuse the loss but it also is just part of the rigors of a full season. Even still, the Avalanche cut the lead late and had few chances to tie it.

Just One of Those Games

This takeaway kind of goes along with the latter point. The superstar duo of Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon not only didn’t get on the score sheet, but they also finished a cumulative minus-four on the evening.

Makar was a bit more engaged with four shots, but MacKinnon had just one chance in more than 24 minutes. The Avalanche were outhit, out blocked, had nearly three times as many giveaways (16-6) and were soundly beating in the faceoff circle (56.9% to 43.1%).

Even when, on paper, it feels like a mismatch it is important to remember that these are all professionals. Some nights, even the superior team isn’t anywhere close to its best and a “lesser” team can easily take advantage. That is what happened on Monday night in Philadelphia.

Quick Turnaround

The Avalanche have a quick turnaround, heading to New Jersey to battle a Devils group that is struggling to find consistency. With a premier matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home looming on Friday, the Avalanche could easily get caught looking forward.

If the Avalanche can handle business in these next two, they have seven games in a row against teams that are currently outside the playoff picture. That presents a tremendous opportunity to string together some wins and start putting pressure on the Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth, both of whom currently sit above the Avalanche in the division standings. It’s going to be a long season in the Central Division but every win matters.