Avalanche Face Test as Veterans Called on for Heavy Lifting
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The second period against the Ottawa Senators can, so far, go down as the worst period of the season for the Colorado Avalanche. No matter how bad they played in other games in certain periods, that period could potentially be the worst if Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar suffer injuries that keep them out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
For a team that was 5-1-1 heading into that game and really started to turn things around with better defensive play, special teams starting to look better, and players performing really well, things turned south just the second game into this road trip.
Granted, the best news we have heard so far is that both players will stay with the team and travel to Montreal when they face the Canadiens, instead of flying back to Denver and being evaluated for a bigger injury that needs to be treated.
Both players could be deemed day-to-day, where they miss the game against the Canadiens and are back in the lineup against the Utah Mammoth, or just sit out the rest of the road trip before being re-evaluated when they are back home.
No matter if one or both are revealed to miss time, the main group of Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, Devon Toews, Martin Necas, and others will need to step up in the next couple of games if the two are set to miss time.
Despite all that happened against the Senators, they still managed to come out of the game with a point in an overtime loss, and that's what these games will need to be if the duo is out: getting points no matter the cost and staying in the race.
Obviously, this team is two completely different teams with MacKinnon and Makar out, but if they can stay afloat with overtime points or playing well and winning in regulation, it will be massive to let the two get rest, rehab, and recover to make sure they are at least 90% healthy when they come back into the lineup, if not healthier.
Production Has Been Increasing The Past Couple Games
The depth of this team will be tested with MacKinnon and Makar out, especially on the defensive end.
With Josh Manson already out for another month and potentially Makar, it not only heightens Noah Juulsen's role on the team but also opens a window for Alex Gagne to make his NHL debut or another defenseman they might have to call up.
But when it comes to the forward group, we have already been seeing a rise in production with the recent line change that saw Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, and Nicolas Roy come together, especially in their match against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The mix of speed, leadership, physicality, and size all combine well with setting up opportunities on the offensive end while being reliable on the defensive end. Hard on the boards for puck battles, crashing the net for rebounds, and moving bodies to turn over the puck work really well.
When MacKinnon went down, Kadri moved up to center Lehkonen and Necas, and that line looked pretty good for the time together.
While Kadri doesn't bring all the skills that MacKinnon can bring, it allows Necas to distribute the puck more, setting up Lehkonen on open lanes and having Kadri go to the net to screen the goaltender and look for rebounds.
It does open the door to who will fill that second line spot. While it’s easy to say Nelson, I quite liked his time with Jaden Schwartz and T.J. Hughes on the third line, and the fourth line of Parker Kelly, Fedor Svechkov, and Logan O’Connor has been efficient.
It will be interesting to see who they call up if necessary, either filling in at center or winger to try and shift the lines in different ways for the time MacKinnon misses.
This is a team that has seen regular season success and won a Presidents' Trophy. While it's important to do well in the regular season and try to fight for top of a division for an “easier” path to the Stanley Cup, it's all about the playoffs.
The Avalanche need to stay .500 or better with MacKinnon and/or Makar out of the lineup until they're healthy, or else it will be a tough path to climb heading into the second half of the season and could impact how management deals with the trade deadline.
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Stefano Rubino is a sports journalist based outside Toronto, Canada, and a hockey writer covering multiple teams for The Hockey News, as well as the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings for Sports Illustrated. When he is not watching last night's highlights or minor league games, or writing game notes, you can find him listening to music while he works out or playing video games.