There are few teams riding as high as the Colorado Avalanche of late. With points in eight straight games, including an impressive win over the Florida Panthers, the Avalanche have challenges ahead but looked to have an easy road win coming in the form of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Instead, Connor Bedard wound up being the star of the show in a letdown 3-1 loss by the Avalanche. There are a few things worth getting deeper into the weeds about, so let’s talk about the takeaways from this disappointing loss to the lowly Blackhawks.
Ran Into Hot Goaltending
The Avalanche didn’t play badly. If anything, they probably would have had a typical night for them if not for the play of Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek. The veteran was exceptional, stopping 35 of 36 shots on the night.
He was great as the Avalanche attempted a late push, making big save after big save. The Avalanche were fairly consistent in terms of shots throughout the night, hitting double digits in every frame. Defensively, they even held the Blackhawks to just five shots, yet fell behind 3-1 in the third.
There isn’t much to be done about running into a hot goaltender. It happens from time to time and the best thing to be done is to shake it off. The Avalanche have a lot of offensive weaponry and won’t be held to just one goal very often.
Trent Miner Wasn’t Good
Trent Miner got the start on Wednesday night, the first of his career. He has been solid for the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, sporting an 8-5-5 record with a .903 save percentage. He made one appearance back in November but has been in the AHL since.
Miner wasn’t awful but clearly wasn’t playing his best. He allowed three goals on 20 shots, including a goal by Bedard from long range that looked like it handcuffed him. Everyone knew this was a spot start, Miner included, so it isn’t a huge issue, but it made a difference.
If anything, it just underscores how important the addition of Mackenzie Blackwood has been. He has been such a reassuring presence, allowing the Avalanche to take chances that would not have been available previously. Miner will likely head back to the AHL sooner rather than later.
No More Streaking
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the loss to the Blackhawks is where the limited offense came from. Rather than the established stars that have paved the way, the lone goal came from recent Avalanche addition Juuso Parssinen. But the lack of star power on the spreadsheet was more notable for another reason
Related: Meet the Newest Colorado Avalanche Juuso Parssinen
Both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen saw their point streaks come to an end. MacKinnon had gotten up to eight games while Rantanen had extended his streak to an impressive 14 games after the win over the Panthers.
Both remain among the league’s leaders in points, so it’s always shocking when they are both held off the stat sheet. It will be interesting to see how many games in a row they can rack up going forward and how it will benefit the push the Avalanche are making toward the top of the Central Division standings.
Reset, Start Again
Losing to the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout and the Blackhawks outright almost feels like the Avalanche playing to their competition. Then again, it’s a long season and even bad teams beat good teams from time to time.
It has been talked about repeatedly, but this is a crucial stretch for the Avalanche. They face the Minnesota Wild (twice), Winnipeg Jets (twice), and Dallas Stars within the next eight games. That’s not even talking about tilts with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Boston Bruins. This could be a stretch that sets the tone for the rest of the season one way or another.
