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When the Colorado Avalanche returned to the ice following five full days away from the competition and adrenaline of live NHL game action, it was expected they would be rusty. The flat performance in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets certainly wasn’t the reason they ultimately lost 1-0 in front of their home crowd but it certainly didn’t help.
“I wouldn’t (say we were rusty),” captain Gabriel Landeskog said following the loss. “Obviously, we were slower than usual after not playing for five days but we’re not using that for an excuse at all. I think we had time to prepare for this one. We had time to work on everything we wanted to work on so we’re not using it as an excuse.”
Avs forward Jarome Iginla certainly echoed the sentiments of his captain.
“We got back to doing some of the things…getting that forecheck going and not playing as long in our zone in the second and third,” Iginla explained as he looked back on the loss. “We want to do more of that and, unfortunately, we didn’t have that in the first. Maybe we do, we find a way to get one. Saying that, I thought the guys responded well after the first.”
The Avalanche got to work in the second and third periods, outshooting the Jets a combined 31-11 in the final two periods. The performance was as startling as it was dominant as the Avalanche entered the game last in the NHL with a 43% Corsi For, meaning 57% of all shot attempts in their previous five games were by the opposing team.
The figurative avalanche of shots poured on by Colorado was certainly the game plan against the tired Jets, who played last night against the Dallas Stars before arriving in Denver in the early morning hours. While encouraging, the leadership group of the Avalanche maintained an even-keel approach to the loss, focusing on the final two-thirds of the game in which they tilted the ice.
“I think we dominated the last two periods,” Landeskog bluntly stated. “Our power play created momentum every time we were out there. We didn’t give them very much when they were out there on their power play. Obviously, we had quite a few scoring chances and a few there in the third that were dancing on the goal line but couldn’t seem to get that last touch on it and put it in the back of the net.
Still, the loss left a sour taste in the player’s mouths as the extended break left the team feeling confident coming into tonight’s game.
“This one stings,” Landeskog explained. “We really wanted this one. Obviously, being home all week and preparing for this game and our first period was a little slow but after that, we got into it. Either way, as a team, we’ve got to find a way to win and we didn’t do that tonight.”
He wasn’t alone in feeling that way.
“It doesn’t feel good now,” Iginla intimated. “The second and third we did a lot of things we wanted to do. We out chanced and out shot them and on another night we would get some goals out of that but tonight that wasn’t the case. Both goalies played great.
“We get those same chances and we keep going like that in the second and third, we will score goals. We know that but, unfortunately, we didn’t get any tonight.”
The Avalanche don’t have long to dwell on the loss as they hopped a plane to Arizona immediately following the game as they take on the Coyotes in the desert tomorrow night.
“The best way to do it is to turn the page and get right back to it tomorrow,” Landeskog said. “We’ve really got to make sure we get back playing the way we want to play on the road and get a big road win tomorrow.”
In the same way the long break allowed the team to focus on more on the aspects of their game still needing work, the short turnaround after tonight’s bitter loss allows the players a chance to put it out of sight and out of mind as they have to refocus on the task at hand tomorrow night.
“Once we leave the arena we get focused and we get right back at it tomorrow,” Iginla explained. “It makes tomorrow even more important to get back on the winning side and start getting some wins.”
For the Avalanche, who currently occupy sixth place in the seven-team Central Division, the need to get back on the right side of winning is certainly no laughing matter. Slow starts doomed them the past two seasons and with what should be a much-improved squad this year, they can’t afford to lose too many games against weaker competition such as Winnipeg and Arizona.
If there’s any solace in the loss tonight, it’s the team finally outplaying a team in a situation they should and the leaders in the locker room certainly understand putting 37 shots on goal and not scoring is more anomaly than regularity. The Avalanche have a quick opportunity to build off the impressive effort as they seek a more positive concrete result tomorrow night.
