A mostly-healthy Avs got scoreboard healthy against a moribund Canucks team

It seems like the theme to this season so far for the Avalanche is they can’t have any good without having some bad to go along with it and, despite the result, tonight’s game was no different.

The Colorado Avalanche thumped the Vancouver Canucks 7-1 in a game that was a “must-win” in the sense of, the Avs need to get some good feelings going in this season. The Avs were 4-5-1 coming into this game, they haven’t been playing particularly well, and have had just a revolving door of injuries since before the regular season started.

They have to be feeling good after the way they just smothered Vancouver all over the ice tonight.

That was the good…now for the bad.

Bowen Byram left the game after skating just shy of five minutes in the first period when he took an errant elbow to the face from Canucks captain Bo Horvat in a case of Bo on Bo crime.

Byram left the ice in quite a bit of discomfort immediately and never re-emerged from the locker room.

Even with Byram missing most of the game, this looked like the Avs we’ve been expecting to see. They had energy, they closed gaps quickly, their passes were crisp, and most importantly, they were finding the back of the net.

Every player that you wanted to see step up in a game like this, did. Mikko Rantanen and Gabe Landeskog scored key goals to extend their lead early, Val Nichushkin re-enforced just how important he is to this team by opening the scoring on the power play. The Avs got contributions from Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar, Sam Girard and Devon Toews as well.

Look, the Avs needed this. Not just a win, but they needed a game like THIS where they come out and dominate from start to finish to remind themselves of what exactly they’re capable of.

There has been very little to feel good about if you’re Colorado early on. They blew back-to-back third period leads to the Columbus Blue Jackets last week and then had to just sit on that for four days. Regardless of any excuses or caveats (namely injuries), the players that were in the lineup just weren’t competing hard enough to earn any wins.

We said on the DNVR Avalanche Podcast that they needed to take those four days in between games, look themselves in the mirror, and decide if they truly were the Stanley Cup contenders they claim to be.

At least for one night, it looks like they did exactly that. The Avs came prepared, they had a game plan, they were rested, and they executed. Both Jared Bednar and defenseman Devon Toews noted how much it helped to have (almost) everyone back for a week of practice.

While both were cautious to not turn it into an excuse, they echoed thoughts on how difficult it is to get into a rhythm when you are missing such large chunks of your group at practice. Sure, guys can fight through injuries to get into the game, but you need everyone on the same page by the time the game comes. Tonight, they clearly were.

This seemed like the type of game Darcy Kuemper, who was sharp on the rare occasions he was called upon to make a save, was expecting more of after being traded from the Arizona Coyotes this summer.

Now for what comes next.

The Avs are without Nathan MacKinnon for at least the next three weeks, and we’ll see what happens with Bowen Byram, who, according to Bednar, will be re-evaluated in the morning.

Regardless of the status of those two guys, this is how the Avs need to play on a nightly basis. No, I’m not saying they need to score seven goals every night, but they need to play with this type of energy. They need to commit to their game plan and their style of hockey, every single game. 

The Avalanche have battled so much adversity already this season, when it was brought to Jared Bednar’s attention after the game that the team has lost 52 man-games, he responded by saying “That’s it? It feels like double that”. If they can continue to fight through this, get themselves back on track in the standings, this could be exactly what a team, who has seemingly struggled to push back come playoff time, needed to learn how to truly put outside factors aside, and play to their abilities when it matters most.

TAKEAWAYS

• As good as Cale Makar is, Devon Toews is the heartbeat of this D corps. He’s such a calming presence back there. He’s a fantastic skater, and so good with the puck. He just adds such a different element to what they are all about.
• Alex Newhook was better than we saw at any point at the beginning of the season. He had an assist on the first goal of the game and continued to play with energy. Which is exactly what he needs to do to stick.
• Mikko Rantanen seemed determined tonight. Even after the game was out of hand, he was one of the guys who I felt didn’t pull up at all. He looks like he understands that he is “the guy” while MacKinnon is out.
• Logan O’Connor. What can you say? A goal and a short-handed assist tonight. Ever since he slotted into the lineup in the bubble, he has been fantastic. He is finding a way to be someone who sets the tone for this team as a role player. PEB who?