The Colorado Avalanche have had an interesting week so far. They have struggled on the ice of late, but solidified the future of their blueline by providing a contract extension to Sam Malinski. It may lead to a move or two at the deadline, but that is at least taken care of.
Unfortunately, the business on the ice has not been getting taken care of lately. The Avalanche fell short once again, losing in Ottawa to the Senators to the tune of 5-2. Here are the most important takeaways from the latest Avalanche loss.
Mackenzie Blackwood was not Good
For the third time in his last four starts, Mackenzie Blackwood was simply not good. The Avalanche have been blessed in terms of goaltending, and may even have a Vezina Trophy candidate on their hands in longtime backup Scott Wedgewood.
Having said that, Blackwood has not looked like himself of late. Aside from a 32-save effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 25, Blackwood has looked pedestrian. In the three starts sandwiched around that Toronto game, Blackwood has given up 14 goals on 68 shots (.794 save percentage).
Blackwood was again as average as could be on Wednesday night against Ottawa, getting beaten on a few clean looks. Sometimes goalies slump, but given his injury issues this season, one can’t help but wonder if something else is going on.
The Flattest Effort of the Season
While Blackwood was hardly at his best, this may have been the worst game of the season for the Avalanche in terms of effort. The Avalanche looked listless for much of this game, clearly lacking the jump that has come to define them.
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The Avalanche managed just eight shots through two periods yet somehow trailed by a goal. They are such a good team that they laid an egg and still had a chance to tie the game late. Hopefully, this is one of those games you shake off and come out better in the next one.
Martin Necas is Slumping
This isn’t really so much a criticism because he’s still having a tremendous season, but Martin Necas has been quiet of late. Aside from a two assist game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Necas has gone without a point in three of his last four games and has posted a collective -3 in the process.
The Avalanche have been fortunate to get incredible production from Brock Nelson but it hurts to have your top winger go cold. Three of four isn’t the end of the world but it is a little concerning for someone who is supposed to be a night-in, night-out contributor.
If you’re Jared Bednar, messing with the line of Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, and Artturi Lehkonen isn’t on the table, so you can’t reasonably move Necas down the lineup to find his game. Hopefully, he and the Avalanche come out fired up in their next game and start getting back on the right track.
It’s Time to be Concerned
The Avalanche have now lost five of seven and have just four wins in their last 10 games. Though they still have a nine-point lead (and three games in hand) on the Minnesota Wild, the gap is narrowing ever so slightly.
The injuries are having a sizable impact, and the Avalanche haven’t been able to find the consistency to their game that was there prior to the start of the new year. The good news is that they have built such a buffer that they have time to turn it around and still be just fine.
