The Colorado Avalanche needed a redemption game after losing to one of the worst teams in the NHL on Tuesday. The return of defenseman Samuel Girard after entering the player assistance program last month gave the team a boost for sure. He will work his way back into the lineup in the coming days. Cale Makar returned to the lineup after missing the last three games for the Avalanche. The big story? Nathan MacKinnon with his record setting four goals. It was the first four goal performance in franchise history for the Avalanche and Quebec Nordiques. Here are some takeaways in Colorado’s 6–4 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Some light reading. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ntvOPhmZXz
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) December 22, 2023
Takeaways
— Discipline played a factor once again as it did in Chicago. Colorado spent the last six of the last 12 minutes in the penalty box. They were giving the Senators multiple chances to score with their special teams, but with a conversion rate of just 18.3 percent, they had no luck.
— The defense for the Avalanche had most of the issues throughout the game. Discipline, positioning, exiting the zone, you name it. There was a general problem with it. They left the backdoor wide open in several instances, one leading directly to a goal for Josh Norris. Some had their backs turned to the play. Because of this, they did not know where the puck was and therefore no clue where the forward was heading.
Josh Norris (11) evens things up on the powerplay! #GoSensGo
Nice play by Batherson (14). Stützle (25) also assists. Alfie, who is in charge of the powerplay, gave a little fist pump. pic.twitter.com/MqxeZAEKrq
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) December 22, 2023
— Alexandar Georgiev has been a question mark for Colorado the entire season so far. According to Moneypuck.com, Georgiev is ranked 25th among goalies for goals saved above expected with three. The defense is only blocking roughly 21 percent of the shots towards the net for him. Sometimes last year he looked completely calm, this year he looks panicked in tight situations.
— MacKinnon went from a burning ember to a raging fire in tonight’s victory. He scored in his 17th consecutive game In that stretch he has had 12 goals and 21 assists. Four goals were part of the tally, for which no Colorado Avalanche player has done.
Nathan MacKinnon puts the Avalanche up early with a perfect one-timer on the power play!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ufSyIcqiwP
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 22, 2023
300 career goals for Nathan MacKinnon #Avs pic.twitter.com/41ZmjxTN0B
— Ryan Sikes (@ryan_sikes10) December 22, 2023
Conclusion
Although the Avalanche got the win, it was a very sloppy win. The defense needs to tighten things up in front of the net to take away the opportunities of their opponent. The team can not rely so heavily on MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen to do all the scoring. If one falls into a slump (like Rantanen’s nine game slump) then the other forwards need to pick the slack up. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done for the Avalanche if they want to win the Stanley Cup. Up next, Colorado will take on the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday in Denver.