Gabe Landeskog thought the puck was in. So did the goal judge, apparently, who pressed the red light. All the Philly -transplant fans at the game on their Stubhub tickets, dressed in orange, were ready to stay seated. All the slowly woke Avs fans in mixtures of burgundy and white, were ready to leap for joy.
But there would be no joy in what is otherwise becoming known as Mudville of late, the Pepsi Center. In easily the most frustrating loss of their otherwise feelgood season, the Avs lost 2-1 to a tired Philadelphia Flyers team playing the second of back-to-back games.
The Avs, who so desperately needed these two points to retake a spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, remain just outside the velvet rope. Five games remain on the season, and it’s starting to feel like they might have to win them all to get in. That’s probably a bit much (they are one point behind “eighth” place Anaheim, with the same number of games left, including one head-to-head Sunday in Orange County), but it just feels that way.
The Avs, who have said all the confident things in this run-up to the playoffs (remember Landeskog’s proclamation a week or so ago that “we’re feeling as if we’ve already made it”) are now shuffling quietly away from their lockers, trying to explain why they’ve now lost three of the last four games, including two at home, where they came in 26-10-2.
Nikita Zadorov sat stone silent at his locker afterward, chin in hand, almost looking like Rodin’s famous sculpture.
“It’s just bad timing for us,” the big Russian quietly said.
It sure is, especially the sudden offensive drought of the Avs’ top line – Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Landeskog. For the Avs to win without consistent offense from those three is a little like Led Zeppelin trying to go out and put on a good show without Robert Plant on vocals and Jimmy Page on guitar.
Even through 59 minutes and 40 seconds of hair-pulling frustration, the Avs looked to have tied the game 2-2 in the dying seconds. MacKinnon spotted Landeskog in front, put a nice pass through a crowd right to his forehand stick and Landeskog went through with a shot that everybody, including that poor goal judge, thought was in. But it wasn’t.
“I just missed it,” Landeskog said. “I thought it was in.”
The hard truth is: the Avs have just missed their top line of late, period. They haven’t shown up in the biggest games of the season. Are they coming close, are they working hard, are they still dangerous a hell of a lot of time out there? Yep, yes and yeah. But that and $1.39 will get you a giant Slim Jim at a gas station convenience store. All that matters right now are goals and results, and right now, they’re not happening for the Avs.
MacKinnon, heavily in the Hart Trophy conversation a week ago, now has gone five straight games without a goal.
“Our line goes cold and we lose games,” MacKinnon told BSN Denver. “We’ve been getting rest. Our legs are there, but I don’t if we’re a little tighter maybe and squeezing the sticks at this time of the year. We’re not exactly an experienced team.”
Well, that excuse only goes so far. While the Avs are the youngest team in the league, two of their top guys – MacKinnon and Landeskog – have been through a playoff race before, in 2014. They have to be the ones to produce in these games, and in the last few it hasn’t quite been there – Landeskog’s shootout winner the other day an exception. At even strength, though, pucks aren’t going in and it’s hurting a lot. This was the fourth straight game the Avs only scored one goal in regulation.
Not good enough. Not even close.
What hurt so much about this latest loss was the Avs wasted a pretty good performance from a guy who hasn’t played all season – Andrew Hammond. If you had said before the game that “Andrew Hammond will keep the Flyers to just two goals in regulation”, I’d have bet the mortgage the Avs would have found a way to get at least a point.
But no. The Avs got stymied by a goalie (Michal Neuvirth) making his first start since Feb. 18. Then, he reinjured himself, bringing Petr Mrazek into the contest for the third. He wound up looking like Georges Vezina in that third, stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Look, there is still hope. The Avs are one point back of the Ducks, who play Friday night against Los Angeles. The Avs get a non-playoff team at home Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks and their StubHub transplants. A win against the sputtering Hawks, a Kings win over Anaheim and the Avs are…back in. It can happen.
But it certainly won’t happen if MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen don’t start putting pucks in the net again.
Marc Crawford always said, “Your top players have to be your top players.”
It all sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
0 Comments (6 conversations)
aaroncali
This game isn’t on Hammond at all. I do think it is a different game with a healthy Varley, but that says a lot about the team in front of him depending on him to steal every game.
The fact is that McKinnon didn’t shoot much the entire game and the top line didn’t look like they had much urgency until the last few minutes. And what was with Rantanen falling down anytime he tried to stop in the 3rd period?
hockeyhacker5
As the Flyer announcer said, “No goalie is stopping that,” referring to the Giroux one-timer. I don’t think Varly would have had a shutout or brought special inspiration. MacKinnon was fighting the puck all night and looked like he was gripping the stick a little tight. The point drought of just under four games after that gift assist in the first four minutes against LA seems to be getting to him. Back-to-back powerplays with zero shots isn’t going to get it done, either. Tough stretch.
tele_mon
Is the ice at the can just that bad? Seems like the words “bouncing puck” are included with every shot.
Nels
Great article AD. The Hamburgler was awesome, all things considered. Rants is looking like he needs a stint in the minors.
Peinsznski
80 points on the year needs a stint in the minors SMH.
Colorado_Gary
That final flurry could have easily netted the tying goal. It almost looked like the spacing in the O-zone was bad, there were 3 or 4 sure shots where the puck came to the shooter and the stick was in too close to get off a shot, like rushing a rebound a little too hard instead of hanging back a little. And what’s with the clumsy trip#fest – the smorgasbord of players tripping over their own feet, sticks or cracks in th ice or the painted lines?
How about this for a plan? Desperation time from the get-go, pull out all the stops instead of waiting until the end of the game when you’re down. Scoring the first goal makes victory more likely and going up 2-0 is even better. Why wait to play your best offensively? If you get the lead then it’s make the simple play, clear the zone and get the puck in deeep. Clamp it down. Yeah, you could end up a little loose defensively by really pushing to score but IMO what’s happening now Just isn’t working.
ThePhotoGorilla
Gripping the stick tight might be legit. After all, that playoff appearance in 2014 didn’t count on one line to get it done. But at their level, it shouldn’t matter. You either get it done, or you don’t. Win or lose. There is no in-between.
And why is the least surprising statement in this article the fact that you know the price of a giant Slim Jim at a gas station convenience store? 😉