Too little too late.
Before Valeri Nichushkin scored the first of his two late in the third period, the Avalanche had just 15 shots and were trailing by two goals. It wasn’t enough, and the Carolina Hurricanes went on to defeat Colorado 5-3 at PNC Arena on Thursday. Carolina got to 15 shots in the first period alone.
“We know that Carolina is a team that’s gonna throw a lot of pucks at me,” goalie Scott Wedgewood told reporters. “It’s kinda how they generate chances.”
Wedgewood was in goal again, making his first start with the Avs after a perfect relief performance two nights prior. He didn’t allow a goal until Carolina’s 12th shot — the 32nd overall shot he faced in an Avalanche uniform. But even his early swagger couldn’t keep Colorado in this one.
The Avs got the first goal from Artturi Lehkonen off a breakaway but were stopped twice more in breakaway opportunities against Pyotr Kochetkov. It was their only goal until Nichushkin made it 3-2 with 5:19 remaining. The team was then called for a too many men penalty and the Canes quickly took advantage. With the two-goal lead restored, Nichushkin scored again, but an empty netter put the game away shortly thereafter.
The Avs fell to 14-13-0 at the one-third mark of the season. They’re also 1-1-0 on their five-game road trip and will get an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday in Detroit.
Bad: Power play
There’s something really stinky about the Avalanche’s struggling power play and it’s different from the issues or ruts they’ve experienced in recent years. Against Carolina, the lack of power-play goals is probably what did it for the Avs. They had three chances, two of which overlapped, giving them a two-man advantage. In total, Colorado was 0-for-5:03 of PP time. Meanwhile, Carolina scored twice on the man advantage.
The problems arise on their zone entries — something they’ve often been one of the best at. Perhaps teams have finally figured out how to defend the Nathan MacKinnon slingshot entry, or maybe Colorado is trying to do too much and it’s leading to mistakes. This often happens when you’re mired in a rut like this. But the Avs’ inability to even get set up is concerning. They can’t flex their talent and skills on the cycle and in front of the net if they can’t even get into the offensive zone and possess the puck.
Something’s gotta give. Maybe Ross Colton can reignite the power play. But having Nichushkin back was supposed to help and it hasn’t yet. More on him below.
Good: Valeri Nichushkin’s goals
We still haven’t seen the consistently dominant Nichushkin from early last season and in the playoffs. There have been flashes of it, like last week when he was the only Colorado scorer in a 2-1 shootout victory over a tough Vegas team.
The good news is, he usually takes time to get going. At least that’s what happened when he returned from his NHLPA stint last March. The bad news? Colorado needs him now. Every night.
The two tallies he had late in the third period were a reminder of what the Avs have in him. If he can get going on the power play again, it’ll help the team, and himself, as the Avalanche continue to play at or near .500 hockey.
