Avalanche Discover Unexpected Strength After Losing Two Superstars
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The road has been hard on the Colorado Avalanche. For the season, the Avalanche are ranked third in the Western Conference with an 11-6-3 record. The away stats are a sore spot, though, with an unfortunate road record of 4-5-1.
That trend continued on Thursday evening when Colorado took on the Ottawa Senators. It was the second game in the Avalanche’s four-game road trip, and just as the season has gone, they had to add another notch to the loss category.
It was disappointing for sure, but when the team lost two of its biggest stars to what could be potential injuries, the other players responded.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both suffered lower-body injuries during the second period. Both were missing for the entirety of the third period.
At the time of their exit, Colorado was behind on the scoreboard 2-0.
Rather than giving up or allowing the game to completely get away from them, Colorado rallied and scored three consecutive goals to take the lead 3-2.
The most encouraging part of that rally was that those goals came on special teams, a spot where this team has struggled all year.
The effort ultimately wasn’t enough to gain the win, as the Avalanche lost in overtime 4-3, but it did demonstrate that this team can respond if either or both players has to miss any more time.
Avalanche Special Teams Deliver
There's no question about it; Makar and MacKinnon are important to the team in general, and they certainly have a substantial role on special teams as well.
Without them on the ice, the remaining players responded and took control.
Artturi Lehkonen, who leads the team in goals, started the comeback when he put one in the net during a power-play opportunity in the second period.
Parker Kelly repeated the task early in the third period to tie the game.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog gave Colorado the lead with another power-play goal at the 10:03 mark in the third period.
That made three goals from three different players, all without Makar and MacKinnon on the ice. That is encouraging play from a team that has struggled all year to find any consistency from the special teams.
Colorado’s Depth Facing Huge Test
The loss is concerning; the comeback was impressive, but the biggest concern coming out of Thursday is going to revolve around the injury report.
MacKinnon leads the team with 30 points while Makar has recorded 23 points in 19 games. The production they provide is going to be hard to replace.
Add to that, the changes head coach Jared Bednar had just implemented, that were producing results, and you have something very concerning.
One player isn’t going to replace the production and it’s not even realistic to think that. The best part of Colorado is that they don’t need one player to step up. They need contributions across the lineup.
Landeskog, Brock Nelson, and Nazem Kadri can all step up to cover some of the weaknesses and keep this team competitive.
Landeskog has been very effective lately on offense. On Tuesday against Toronto, he contributed two goals, leading to a win. Then on Thursday he stepped up again to lead the team and score during a crucial moment.
Kelly’s goal on Thursday was a reminder aobut how Colorado’s depth players can help influence games without having to completely rely on the top scoring lines.
Head coach Bednar had a positive review following the game.
"I liked our effort all the way around," Bednar said. "It's a good hockey team we played, and you're running without a couple of horses, you know, for half the game."
He went on to admit the mistakes his team made that ultimately cost them the win, but overall the team put forth a good effort.
What lies ahead is uncertain. For sure, they will be facing the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The unknown is who will be on the ice and how that is going to affect the lines.
So far, there has not been an update on MacKinnon or Makar, nor has it been said whether either will be available against Montreal.
Should either or both be out, the team will reach down and rely on their depth pieces to step up. Colorado has more ways to win than simply with MacKinnon and Makar.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com