The Colorado Avalanche have been in a bit of a “no man’s land” situation of late. They kept winning, but the Dallas Stars did as well, keeping distance between the two in the standings. As a result, the Avalanche have been pretty much waiting for the playoffs to start and watching the potential playoff clinching scenarios.
The Avalanche hosted the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, and it felt like everyone was at least a little checked out. There are a few key takeaways from the Avalanche’s 4-1 loss to the Canucks, so let’s get right into them.
An Uninspired Effort
You can tell from watching this game that the Avalanche were largely going through the motions. There just wasn’t a sense of urgency that is generally there, especially when competing for a playoff spot or division title. Given their place in the standings, it’s understandable.
The lineup is still missing important faces like Jonathan Drouin. Nathan MacKinnon sat this one out as well. At this point in the season, every team is battling wear and tear, so that isn’t especially alarming. Getting everyone rested is what matters, so games like this are going to happen.
The middle of the second period is ultimately what got them, and there just wasn’t much of a push to overtake the Canucks. The Avalanche will finish third in the Central Division, so there really isn’t anything left to play for with a handful of games left in the regular season.
The Team Needs to Get Healthy
The single most important thing the Avalanche need to focus on right now is getting healthy. MacKinnon got a maintenance day and could get another game or two off before the playoffs begin. There’s really nothing regarding the return of Drouin, though Avalanche fans are excited by the news of Gabriel Landeskog being assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL) for a conditioning stint.
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The first-round matchup with the Stars is going to be an absolute war. The Avalanche will need everyone available, and with nothing to play for, they should be resting everyone with the playoffs in mind.
Though it would have been nice to finish in second place in the Central, this is somewhat of a silver lining. The Avalanche can now rest a few players to ensure that they are ready to go when the playoffs roll around.
Bring on the Dallas Stars
There are few teams better than the Stars. They are deep – a whopping seven players have 50 points or more – and get production from throughout the lineup. They will get even scarier if Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen both return from injury in time for the playoffs.
The Stars also took a massive swing for the fences, trading for Mikko Rantanen and signing him to a huge new deal. He has cooled from his incredible start but seems to be finding a solid fit with the Stars.
Dallas has all the pieces necessary to hoist the Cup this season. They are deep down the middle with Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene, and Roope Hintz, plus Seguin if/when he returns. Jake Oettinger is one of the best netminders in the league, and the defensive corps is deep, talented, and big. This will be a war in every sense of the word.
Treading Water
For now, the Avalanche are just going to have to tread water. There is nothing to gain, nothing to lose, and no major individual milestones really left. It might be a good idea to let Mackenzie Blackwood get a couple more starts to hopefully find a groove.
Given how trying the season was to start, this is something of an accomplishment for the Avalanche. They have managed to round into form and become legitimate contenders after beginning with massive question marks in net and throughout the lineup. For now, it’s just a matter of waiting for the playoffs to start.
