With the preseason rapidly coming to a close and the regular season around the corner, the Colorado Avalanche’s winless record seems startling. The showings have been less than ideal, but also show where the players are stacking up not only in their personal development but also against other players in the league.
Sunday’s game against the Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) exploited some hiccups to address in the upcoming season.
With the game against the Vegas Golden Knights being the debut for many of the regular-season starters, there was much to look forward to in the matchup. Emerging with a 6–1 loss after six unanswered goals and a game littered in penalties, there are several things standing out.
Vegas takes a 5-on-3 advantage. In the first 7 minutes, there's been four total penalties…#GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado
— Savvy Rafkin (@savvyrafkin) October 2, 2024
The good
Newcomer Jare Innala cashed in on a power play goal early in the first period, immediately securing a lead for Colorado.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both picked up an assist, proving business as usual is right around the corner.
A look at Innala’s goal… #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado https://t.co/7c5wYgEhbC
— Savvy Rafkin (@savvyrafkin) October 2, 2024
Nikolai Kovalenko also had a good showing, displaying great puck control and driving pressure on both ends. His appearance on the top line might foreshadow what the regular season holds, especially in Valeri Nichushkin’s absence.
The bad
A common theme for both the Avalanche and Colorado Eagles last season was the impossible task of staying out of the penalty box.
This Achilles Heel once again became apparent as the team committed four minor penalties in the first period, resulting in two 5-on-3 situations in favor of Vegas. The Golden Knights claimed their tying goal on a delayed penalty call.
Here’s the goal that put Vegas up 2–1. #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado https://t.co/UQAHDNuiYg
— Savvy Rafkin (@savvyrafkin) October 2, 2024
Though Colorado was not the only team finding themselves on the repeated penalty kill, they were the team who struggled to capitalize on their opportunities.
As reflected in the score, the team had no way of stopping any sort of momentum Vegas had gathered. Knowing this, it may be an easy way to nip the “second period curse” the Avalanche seemed to have last season.
Through 60 minutes of play, Colorado had 19 giveaways. One particularly bad turnover led to another goal on the unfavorable side of the scoreboard.
What’s next?
The Avalanche will hit the road to take on Vegas on Oct. 3 and will conclude the preseason run with Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 5.