Friday Feels: Okay Fine, Overreact

4 hours ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images


I’ll eat crow, the Avs have been awful since I said they were fine. Alright, my bad everyone. I wrote last week about how folks thinking the Chicago loss was horrible should chill the heck out, and I definitely wasn’t thinking “heck.” I ended that piece by saying to save your anger for when the Colorado Avalanche deserves it.
Well, a week later ... they deserve it. Get mad. Those Winnipeg, New York, and Edmonton games were pitiful efforts from a team with enough talent to win one anyway and have a 3-0 lead in the other, and that just isn’t acceptable.
They dominated puck possession against Chicago and Minnesota, two teams bereft of talent - one due to rebuilding and the other to high-profile injuries - but against three teams full of talent and playing very well, they got their doors blown off for stretches and had to scratch and claw to keep the underlying metrics respectable.
They got goals, sure, and even a win, but their actual play was so bad against New York that head coach Jared Bednar was disgusted in his postgame presser. Against Edmonton, they got three goals on six shots in the first period because Stuart Skinner pulled a Georgiev but otherwise were not competitive until they pulled the goalie down 4-3.
I wish I could stand by what I said last week, because I love to be right, but folks who didn’t like those games were keyed in on something I let slide - this team just does not seem to be playing with an internal fire right now. In years past, Nathan MacKinnon’s competitive spirit seemed to fuel everything the Avalanche did. He was hungry, they were hungry, and they crushed bad teams and good teams alike.
Right now you can see MacKinnon’s hunger in flashes, and obviously, he’s leading the league in points so something is working for him, but there are too many players that aren’t following his lead and I think part of that is his own lapses. After the Rangers game, Bednar said half the team were passengers. Against Edmonton, it seemed like everyone other than LOC, Sammy G, and Mackenzie Blackwood (yes, he was good even though you want that first goal back) could fall into that category - even Nate for 40ish minutes after scoring his goals.
So what is there to do? It seems unrelated, but I actually think all of this stems from the powerplay. That unit’s struggles are clearly frustrating MacKinnon, as every time a puck gets bobbled or a pass goes awry he looks completely dejected. Seeing him glide to the bench after another wasted PP chance is just disheartening for a fan, and there’s no way he and the rest of the team aren’t feeling that either.
To be clear, I’m not blaming Nate’s body language or attitude or anything - those are symptoms of the powerplay problem, not the cause. The Avs have to stop letting the top unit struggle through two whole minutes of nothing on the powerplay. I’ve been saying for years on the podcast and my column that strategically the Avs should mimic Edmonton and use player movement in addition to puck movement to create shooting lanes, and I’ll reiterate that wish today.
But I know that’s not what they want to do, so they have to at least try giving more guys powerplay time to get a spark somewhere and end the drought. Once they get this unit fixed, I think we’ll quickly see more inspired hockey at even strength.
FRIDAY FEELS
Look, it was a really bad week. I think everyone knows the negatives, both from individuals and units. I don’t want to harp on them any more than I did up above, so let’s just identify some silver linings.
SILVER LINING: LOC is Back!
Logan O’Connor is everyone’s favorite grinder, and he deserves all the love he gets. That said, the first half of this season wasn’t his best coming off hip surgery that cost him the end of last year. He didn’t have the burst he was known for and just didn’t look like himself despite playing his normal sound defensive game.
He looks back lately, folks, creating separation constantly and genuinely making whoever he’s on the ice with look dangerous. He’s put goals in the net too, which is wonderful, but more importantly, his speed is a full-on weapon again in all three zones - particularly on the penalty kill, where he is simply eating everything in the underlying metrics.
SILVER LINING: Blackwood’s Back, ALRIGHT!
I know, he never went anywhere so this is maybe a confusing header in addition to being a completely unnecessary very old reference - but hear me out. We’ve seen a version of Mackenzie Blackwood that is completely, unsustainably excellent night in and night out.
He can’t be that guy forever, so getting a hint of a more fallible netminder who maybe will give up a squeaker here and there is a good thing to make sure the team isn’t lulled into thinking they’ve got a Connor Hellebuyck behind them so they can take some plays off. They don’t, they can’t, and that’s what everyone’s expectations should be.
Better yet, we saw an Avs goalie give up a softie and then bounce back and play excellent hockey for the rest of the game. Yes, more goals went in, but Edmonton earned those with truly dominant play for 40 minutes and you’re wrong if you fault the goalie for that. He didn’t crumble like he-who-must-not-ge-orgiev, the team in front of him did. And that’s after he single-handedly stole that Rangers game.
SILVER LINING: Penalty Kill
The power play struggles would be fatal instead of just deadly if not for the other special teams unit working at an extremely high level. The 4-3 kill in overtime against the Rangers was wonderful and is just one of seven kills this week. They didn’t give up a single goal.
A lot of that is Blackwood’s brilliance, but not all - the PK is doing a masterful job keeping shots outside, preventing the backdoor passes that plagued them earlier in the year, and being strategically aggressive when opportunities present themselves without getting caught out of position. They won’t stay perfect, but if they can consistently be this sturdy they’ll be a key part of any success this team has in the spring.
PREDICTIONS
Well, I was right about the Rangers win! But maybe a little overzealous betting on the sweep. This week I see a bounceback coming tomorrow, a still-injured Wild team that should be beatable, and a clapback game coming against the Jets. Hellebuyck can’t shut them out AGAIN, can he?
vs. Dallas: Wvs. Minnesota: OTLvs. Winnipeg: W
Season Total: 24-22


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