The Colorado Avalanche dropped their fourth game in a row, losing to the pesky Florida Panthers 4–0. The Panthers have been a thorn in the side of Colorado, as they lost 8–4 about a month ago in Denver. Not only did the Avalanche get shut out, but star forward Nathan MacKinnon sustained an injury in the third period and did not return. Things just looked as though they went from bad to worse, as Colorado’s chemistry is not in sync and needs something to fix it. Here are the takeaways from the fourth loss in a row.
Takeaways
— Nathan MacKinnon tripped over the Florida net with 12:29 left in the third period and immediately left the ice. He did not return to the game. There is a possibility that he did not return because Colorado was so far behind. It was also reported that he was getting his chin stitched back up, so it may have taken some time.
—They left the backdoor wide open for the Panthers to walk through. The first goal scored by Carter Verhaeghe on the power play was completely wide open. The pass came across the slot and was right to Verhaeghe, from Aleksander Barkov. It became a recurring issue throughout the entire game as Florida tried to take advantage of the rest of the game.
— Once again, passes to the center of the ice cost the Avalanche a goal. Samuel Girard tried to pass the puck to Josh Manson in the slot and Manson missed the pass. Barkov picked up the loose puck and whipped it past Alexandar Georgiev for Florida’s fourth goal of the night.
Conclusion
The Avalanche clearly has something going on. This now becomes their longest losing streak of the season, as they have had several of three games. Good news is that they usually come out swinging, going on a long winning streak after. Colorado reportedly had a closed door team meeting after tonight’s loss, so let’s hope that helps them. The Avalanche will continue their road trip on Tuesday in Washington against the struggling Capitals.
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