After losing 4-1 to the Utah Hockey Club in a disappointing effort, the Colorado Avalanche got back in the win column with an impressive 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Heading into Monday night, a showdown with the rival Vancouver Canucks awaited.
Though the recently acquired Mackenzie Blackwood was very good in his debut against Nashville, he wasn’t enough to keep the Avalanche on the winning track. Here are three takeaways from the Avalanche’s 3-1 loss to the Canucks on the road.
Thatcher Demko Is for Real
This wasn’t one of those “mail it in and let’s go home” games from the Avalanche. They had bursts and chances aplenty. Heck, they even outshot the Canucks 31-25 on the night. The difference was Thatcher Demko in net.
Demko was outstanding for the Canucks and made a few incredible stops in the second period, in particular. The Avalanche picked up the pace after a slow first period, but Demko was right there to meet the challenge every step of the way.
These things happen from time to time. One could argue that the Avalanche were the better team on the whole, but they just couldn’t get past the hot goaltender. It also didn’t help that Kiefer Sherwood had himself a night, tallying a hat trick in the process.
Too Many Blocked Shots
Though Demko was clearly the difference, the Avalanche (like any team) struggle when their shooting lanes are clogged. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, in particular, thrive when they have space to work with and can do some pretty dangerous things with the puck as a result.
Related: Nathan MacKinnon Passes Michel Goulet for 3rd-Most Points in Avalanche History
On Monday night, the Canucks made sure that space came at a premium. The Canucks won the blocked shots race, turning away 18 shots before they ever got to Demko. Though teams don’t sell out quite as often in the regular season as they do in the playoffs, getting in front of shots can be a difference-maker.
Blackwood Played Well
Since coming over in the trade with the San Jose Sharks, Blackwood has appeared to be the real deal. He turned aside 37 of 39 shots in his debut against the Predators, a 5-2 win on home ice. He wasn’t quite as spectacular on Monday but was still quite good.
Vancouver’s first goal came because of traffic in front that should have been cleared. The second was a bad turnover by MacKinnon at the Vancouver blue line that Sherwood took the distance. Other than that, Blackwood was tough to beat.
On the night, Blackwood stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced. It has been such a nice change from the iffy (at best) goaltending that the Avalanche have seen so far this season. It’s going to take some time for them to climb out of the basement in terms of team save percentage, but Blackwood is off to a good start.
It Just Wasn’t There
No one wins 82 games and even a strong effort can be for naught. That was the case with the Avalanche in Vancouver on Monday. A couple of simple mistakes and that was all it took for the Canucks to walk away with the victory.
The coming stretch is important for the Avalanche. They have a West Coast road trip featuring the Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and a rematch with Utah. Getting through that stretch leads them to a New Year’s Eve showdown with the Winnipeg Jets. Coming through this stretch with four wins could be enough to put them within striking distance of the Minnesota Wild in second place in the Central Division.
