The Colorado Avalanche came into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Wild as one of the hottest teams in the league. A 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks extended their winning streak to six, allowing the Avalanche to build some momentum in the standings.
The quick turnaround proved to be too much for the Avalanche. They were dealt a 2-1 shootout loss by the Wild, though they did manage to get a point out of the endeavor. Let’s get into the three most important takeaways from this loss and what it means going forward.
A Tough Ask
The Avalanche have been playing well, but it is a tough ask to travel and turn around the next day to take on a quality division rival. Emotions were high after winning a sixth straight game, not to mention Nathan MacKinnon becoming the 100th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000-point plateau.
The Wild have been battling massive injury woes this season, but they aren’t a team where you can just stumble into town and deal with them easily. Both teams are playing for positioning, so there will not be a down night when the two come together.
That’s not to say that there are excuses. When you’re a good team, you have to gut it out and find a way to win even when you aren’t at your best. The Avalanche were kept in it by Mackenzie Blackwood, but ultimately fell just short when the shootout came up.
New Guys Still Acclimating
The Avalanche made big news with their trade deadline acquisitions. It says a lot when one of the top names on the trade market wanted to come play for you. The Avalanche will be better overall with the additions of Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle, but it is taking time for both to find their groove in Denver.
Both got on the board with an assist in their debuts against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it has been quiet since then. Coyle has had plenty of chances and has been a strong two-way presence on the third line. Nelson has been able to play key minutes already, even if the points aren’t quite there.
The Avalanche are still in a good position overall. The new additions will need to find their offense before the playoffs start, but both centers have managed to fit in quite well and have at least provided good defensive play while looking to make it on the scoresheet.
Goaltending Battle
What also needs to be talked about is the performance of the goaltenders. Sometimes, you run into a hot goalie and nothing goes in. The Avalanche were the better team overall, but Filip Gustavsson was outstanding, turning aside 27 of 28 shots on the night.
These are the games that good teams use as a learning moment. In the playoffs, the best of the best find a way to get that one goal that they need. It didn’t happen here, creating a split in the season series between the two.
Important Weekend
As it stands, the Avalanche have a three-point lead over the Wild and trail the Dallas Stars by five points for second in the Central Division. It is important to note that the Stars have two games in hand on the Avalanche, which could be the difference down the stretch.
Catching the Winnipeg Jets is a near impossibility at this point; the Jets are up 15 points with 16 games to play. The goal from here is to catch the Stars and earn home ice against one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup.
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