It has been rough sledding for the Colorado Avalanche since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off. A 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators and a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues had everyone questioning the Avalanche. Even a rebound win against the New Jersey Devils still had people wondering if the team had finally woken up.
Facing their division rival, the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche made their presence felt. It took some time, but the Avalanche dealt with their rival, tuning them up 5-2 in a decisive win. Let’s get into the takeaways from what turned out to be an important win for Colorado.
Avalanche Had Slow Start, Strong Finish
The Avalanche have been slow getting out of the gate recently, and Friday night against the Wild was no different. In fact, they trailed 2-1 by the time the first-period buzzer went off. That’s something the team needs to work on because you can only come back from so many early deficits.
That said, they turned it on when it mattered most. Within a 0:52 stretch in the second period, Jonathan Drouin and Jack Drury gave them a 3-2 lead, from which they never turned back. Though they’ve had some struggles offensively, the Avalanche possess the ability to pour it on in short bursts.
The third period was quiet aside from an empty-net goal, but the Avalanche had managed three goals in the second period to take a 4-2 lead into the final period. It’s cliché, but if this team can find a way to put together 60 consistent minutes, there aren’t many teams in the league that can hang with them.
Nuke Is (Officially) Back
Valeri Nichushkin technically returned against the Devils, but consider this his official return to the lineup. Nuke got on the scoresheet in the first period, scoring a power-play goal on a very underrated setup from Nathan MacKinnon to temporarily tie the game at 1-1.
Nichushkin’s return to the lineup is critical for the Avalanche. For starters, he makes an impact on the top six from either line. That’s critical for taking some pressure off of the secondary scoring, which may or may not get a boost when the trade deadline comes next week.
Related: Avalanche’s 3 Bargain Targets at the Trade Deadline
With Nichushkin back, the Avalanche have a big, physical, defensively responsible winger who can contribute. His return is something that should pay dividends for the Avalanche, even if he isn’t directly impacting the game on the scoresheet.
Ross Colton, Too
Welcome back, Ross Colton! He’s been here the whole time but hadn’t scored in his last 17 games before potting a pair (one empty-netter) against the Wild. Ironically, the last time he managed to tickle the twine came back on Jan. 9 against – you guessed it – the Minnesota Wild.
With third- and fourth-line players, expectations have to be somewhat tempered because these guys are middling contributors at best. However, Colton scored 10 of his 15 goals before the new year and has endured major slumps in the process. It’s fine when you’re getting a goal from this guy every 3-5 games, not every 15-20.
Hopefully, this is the key to getting others back on track. Drury got his first in nine games, Miles Wood has just two goals this season, Casey Mittelstadt has just one in his last 14 games, and Joel Kiviranta has just one goal in his last 25 games. They need to be better for the Avalanche to contend.
Big Win, Now Do It Again
With all of that said, this is a big win for the Avalanche. They are now tied with the Wild for third in the Central Division and six points back of the second-place Dallas Stars. At this point, the best they can hope for is having home ice against the Stars in the first round of the playoffs, given the massive lead (15 points) the Winnipeg Jets have.
This week is manageable for the Avalanche in terms of both the quality of the opponent and the number of games. With the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Avalanche need to continue this momentum and string together some wins if they hope to catch the Stars.
