The Colorado Avalanche lost a game in a shootout yet again last night, but long before that, it was clear that the Avalanche weren’t exactly locked into a highly intense contest. Lukas Dostal had a great game and nearly secured the shutout if not for a one-timed beauty from Artturi Lehkonen late in the contest. Even with that, last night’s game watched like a late-night infomercial, and I’m not in the market for any non-stick pans. I had this article queued up before the Avs and Ducks put us to sleep, but the game solidified my opinion. The Colorado Avalanche are bored.
Hot start meets Olympic season meets cup-or-bust
I don’t want this article to be perceived as a slight to the Avalanche organization or players. I am simply pointing out what we all know. It’s human nature not be all that interested in inconsequential contests. The same season in which Colorado has a 10-point lead on the rest of their division, 77 points in 48 games played, all of the NHL will come to a pause to make way for the grandaddy of them all. International high-stakes hockey. It would only be human nature for the likes of Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon to feel like they are just biding their time before things get going in Milan, Italy.
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Moreover, this team as a whole has already proven it’s a dominant regular season team, but the true proving grounds and arena of opportunity come in the postseason. This is yet another cup-or-bust year, smack dab in the middle of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar’s prime. The remaining 34 games of the regular season are gonna be slow going.
Dallas downgrading
The only saving grace for high-stakes hockey on a nightly basis early on in the season was that the Dallas Stars were just about keeping up all along the way, that is, until recently. Dallas being hot on the Avalanche heels gave Colorado plenty to play for, as winning the division should mean avoiding the Stars and the Minnesota Wild, who should still take two and three in the Central.
The Avalanche experienced some injuries lately, finally dropped a game in regulation at home, lost consecutive games again, and are 5-3-2 in their last ten. Guess what Dallas is up to? They are 3-5-2 in their last ten, including a three-game losing streak.
Colorado has faced more adversity than ever as of late, and what has it cost them in terms of the standings and their big lead? Absolutely nothing.
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Now I’ll never root for the Dallas Stars, but I would actually be pretty annoyed if they lost to the tune of being a wildcard team and a potential first-round matchup. So I guess Dallas needs to win some more games.
Reason for concern
I’m not writing this as some hard-hitting analysis or take, but mostly pointing to something that could rear it’s ugly head in the future. A wise man once told me that we are only as good as our habits, and it’s super hard to maintain great/elite-level habits when the stakes aren’t that tangible. That’s what makes these guys pros, and that will be the challenge for the rest of the regular season.
We saw Nathan MacKinnon appearing plenty passionate in Colorado’s bounce-back win over the Capitals earlier in the week, which is a good sign. He will have to fabricate and convince himself more than ever this regular season that it’s about the details and habits.
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I think they are in good hands with Bednar at the helm, as he seems to be fine with keeping his big-name guys out when the opposition shortens their bench. Even when they have a stranglehold on the division.
I suppose it’s better to ease up now and save the best for last. I just hope that switch flips with ease, because sometimes that’s not the case. Would hate for that to pop up at the worst possible time. That’s exactly what has happened to other clubs in the past, namely the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning and the 2022-23 Boston Bruins.
Do you think the Avalanche are bored?
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