The Colorado Avalanche entered Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as one of the league’s hottest teams. Having started the season out with six straight wins, they seemed unbeatable. The Penguins had lost their last three games, so to say that Avalanche fans were confident is putting it mildly. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh had other plans, dominating en route to a 4–0 decision.
What went wrong?
- The Avalanche had issues penetrating the neutral zone most of the night. During their power play in the first period, Colorado failed to set up and even get a shot on goal. The Avalanche had to match the Penguins in shots on goal, but in chunks. They would finish the night with no goals on five power play opportunities.
- Colorado panicked under the pressure of the forecheck. There were several instances where Avalanche players crumpled under pressure. Pittsburgh pressured Bowen Byram in the corner and he threw it right to the slot for an opportunity for the Penguins.
- The offense failed to execute once they got into the offensive zone. They are accustomed to possessing the puck, so during the power play, they spent most of the time passing and seeking opportunities. When Colorado is in trouble, their priority should be shooting the puck on the net.
- Turnovers killed the Avalanche. Pittsburgh had 10 scoring chances throughout the game, and, of the four goals the Penguins scored, three were off of turnovers.
The next opponent for the Avalanche will be the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. Once again, they will meet a team that has been struggling to get things together with a 3–4 record so far. Devon Levi, their star starting goalie, has already had to take time out of games because of a “nagging” lower-body injury. The Sabres have a lot of talent with Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, not to mention our beloved Erik Johnson. This will be the first time that EJ will play against the Avalanche in 13 years, so get the tissues ready, folks. It is surprising that this loss is the first all season given the team’s discussions about their play. Despite the win, players expressed disappointment with their performance. Adversity early in the season will be good for the Avalanche.