3 Takeaways From the Avalanche’s 6-2 Loss to the Predators

After losing their second straight, a 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Avalanche needed a “get right” game. They had just that, a strong 6-3 win over one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With a lighter schedule upcoming and a chance to build some momentum, the Avalanche headed to Nashville to get things started off on the right foot. Instead, they laid an absolute stinker en route to a 6-2 loss to the Predators.

A Completely Forgettable Night From the Penalty Kill

The first thing that immediately jumps out when you ask “what happened?” is the performance of the special teams. The power play continues to be mediocre comparable to its talent, going 0-for-4 on the evening.

The real problem is that the penalty kill was absolutely abysmal. They gave up four power play goals on seven opportunities, the most power play goals the Predators have had since 2012.

Part of the reason for the Avalanche’s early struggles has to do with subpar special teams. The penalty kill is now 22^nd in the league at a 75% success rate while the power play is 23^rd overall with a 17.9% success rate. They can get by and win a lot of games if one is bad, but not both.

Wedgewood Was Not Good

While it is tough to ask much of your goaltender when you have seven penalties to kill, Scott Wedgewood was simply not good. A few goals saw him facing a clear opportunity to make the save only to take himself out of position and give up a goal.

Anyone expecting him to be the world beater he was a season ago is being sorely disappointed. He’s been a solid backup, but he isn’t going to carry the ball for the Avalanche like he did last season.

The Avalanche did him no favors on the night, but goaltending continues to be a worry. We will no doubt see Mackenzie Blackwood back in the crease when the Avalanche take the ice against the Devils at home on Wednesday night.

Team Defense Continues to Be a Problem

Defensive lapses have been a major issue so far, and they have cost the Avalanche games in which the offense was very good. It wasn’t the biggest problem in this game, but we are starting to see the issue even from some of the more baseline stats.

The Avalanche are now 20^th in goals against per game at 3.25 per contest. For a team that has been in the top handful of teams in that category the past few seasons, it is a shocking revelation and a clear indicator of why the Avalanche are struggling to put together any kind of momentum.

What has changed? They are the same team, for all intents and purposes, as a season ago. Yes, goaltending has taken a step back, but it can’t bear the brunt of the blame. Those big lapses are coming back to bite them often and need to be addressed.

There Needs to Be a Greater Sense of Urgency

One of the things that jumps out about the Avalanche is that they don’t seem to have a sense of urgency to them. Their effort ebbs and flows from game to game; it’s not that they look lackadaisical, but they just don’t have that urgency that they had all last season.

It’s a long season and they aren’t likely in any real danger of falling out of playoff contention, but the Central Division is too tough to keep doing this. It is time for them to find that gear again.