The Colorado Avalanche entered the Olympic break with a bit of a slump behind them. For that reason, coming out of the break with a win over the Utah Mammoth had to have felt good. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, the next game up was a visit from the red-hot Minnesota Wild.
The Avalanche had chances to tie the game late but ultimately couldn’t convert and gave up a backbreaking shorthanded empty net goal to Matt Boldy. There are a few key takeaways to consider from the Avalanche’s 5-2 loss to the Wild.
Special Teams Struggles
The Avalanche had various levels of success and failure at the Olympics, but it had to be frustrating to see members of the team succeed on the power play away from Denver. Those struggles continued on Thursday night against the Wild on both sides of the ledger.
The Avalanche took a whopping six penalties on the night, giving up a pair of power play goals, including a deflating one in the second period at the tail end of a 5-on-3 kill. The backbreaker came on the aforementioned shorthanded goal from Boldy (he would add another after that for the four-point night).
The power play has become a major Achilles heel for this group, going 0-for-3 on the evening. It didn’t 100% cost them this game but a successful conversion just prior to Mats Zuccarello’s goal would have made it 2-2 and changed the tone of the game. They need to get it figured out or it could very well come back to bite them.
A Sloppy Defensive Performance
This was far from the best defensive effort the Avalanche have had. In all honesty, they weren’t even all that bad defensively. The only problem is that a few sloppy issues, particularly in front of the net.
Related: NHL Morning Recap – February 27, 2026
Multiple times, pucks took weird bounces and left Mackenzie Blackwood handcuffed with no real opportunity to make the save. He turned aside 31 of 34 Wild shots but all three goals were of the “no chance” variety.
This is the kind of defensive performance that you just write off and move on from. The Wild are loaded and still looking to add pieces. The Avalanche need to hold them off and capture the Central Division or the first round playoff series could be a scary matchup.
No Sense of Urgency
The Avalanche top line, particularly Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon, looked great. The duo combined for four points, with Necas scoring both Avalanche goals. They had jump to their game. Unfortunately, the rest of the team couldn’t say the same thing.
It has been a trend recently for the Avalanche and a concerning one. The team just didn’t have that jump to their game throughout the lineup, something that wasn’t even a question over the first 50 games of the season.
Listlessness at being so dominant may have been possible once upon a time, but the gap between the Avalanche, Wild, and Dallas Stars has been shrinking steadily. This kind of complacency is going to lead to a result at the end of the season that felt impossible – losing the division.
Concerning Trends
The Avalanche are now 4-5-1 over their last 10 games and have looked absolutely pedestrian and inconsistent. Injuries can’t be blamed and the rest of the league is dealing with the same condensed schedule.
The Avalanche need to figure things out and do it quickly. The power play is a huge concern and may have cost the Avalanche a game or two. With the Wild streaking right now, the Avalanche need to correct course and get back on track quickly.
