The Colorado Avalanche’s first loss of the season came in a game that actually told them something.
Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre, Colorado ran into a Winnipeg Jets team that made them work for everything and came away with a 3-2 win. Kyle Connor delivered the dagger with two goals, while Fedor Svechkov and Jaden Schwartz each scored their first goals in an Avalanche sweater.
There were still signs of life from Colorado, though. The depth scoring showed up, and it came from the third line. Schwartz opened the scoring early in the second period, finishing a play with assists from Svechkov and Brent Burns.
The Jets answered with two goals to carry a 2-1 lead into the second intermission, and then Svechkov tied it up with his first goal as an Avalanche in the third. By the end of the night, both Svechkov and Schwartz had two points.
TJ Hughes also stood out. He looked more comfortable, especially on the power play, even if his first NHL point still hasn’t come yet.
Special teams never really got rolling because Winnipeg spent most of the night out of the box. The Jets took only one penalty, and Colorado’s lone power-play chance didn’t turn into a goal.
Still, the Avalanche generated five shots on that opportunity and came close before being turned away by Stuart Skinner. The Jets deserve credit for keeping things tight, especially after losing Josh Morrissey for most of the game.
Even so, Colorado’s power play still looked dangerous, even though it hasn’t scored since the first game of the season.
MacKenzie Blackwood wasn’t the problem, either. Winnipeg finished with just 19 shots, and Blackwood stopped 16 of them. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but the goals against were more about the details in front of him than any real breakdown from the goalie.
Cole Perfetti’s goal late in the second was a good example. He shoved Brock Nelson, which opened the lane for the point shot to slip through. If Nelson stays in position, Blackwood likely makes the save.
Connor’s winner with a minute left was even more costly. Sam Malinski misplayed the sequence and didn’t take away the passing lane, leaving Blackwood to handle a dangerous 2-on-1 look. Blackwood got across, but the pass and shot were too clean.
The play before that mattered too. Nazem Kadri lost a puck battle in the offensive zone, and that turnover turned into the 3-on-2 that finished the game.
In the end, a few small mistakes were enough to hand Colorado its first defeat of the season.
In Other News...
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Ryan Lindgren was back in the kind of moment that always makes former Avalanche followers wince. In Seattles game against the Vegas Golden Knights, the defenseman exited after taking a hit from behind just 15 seconds into the opening period, and the upper-body injury kept him from returning. For Colorado fans, it is a familiar reminder of why Lindgren has long been viewed as a sturdy, if occasionally hard-luck, blue-liner whose availability can shift the conversation as much as his play.
Lindgrens path has already carried him from New York to Colorado and now into his second season with the Kraken, a run that has given him a different home but not always a cleaner injury history. The Avalanche spent enough time around him to know what he can bring when healthy, which is part of what makes any setback feel like an old refrain. Seattle is still waiting to learn how long this one lingers, and Colorado observers are left with another brief, frustrating glimpse of the version of Lindgren they remember too well. [Read more 🡒]
Bednar Sees One Risk Colorado Must Fix With Zach LHeureux
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Jared Bednar isnt ignoring any of that, but he does believe there is a path forward if LHeureux can learn where the line is and stay on the right side of it. Bednar pointed to Nazem Kadri as the kind of example a young forward can study, a player who found a way to keep his snarl without letting it become a constant problem. The Avalanche are betting LHeureux can do the same, because his effectiveness only matters if hes available to use it. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Cup Goalie Just Changed A Story Colorado Fans Know Well
Darcy Kuemper is back in the kind of spotlight Avalanche fans know well, even if the jersey has changed. The former Colorado Cup goalie got the start for the Los Angeles Kings against Florida and turned in a sharp effort, stopping 26 of 28 shots in a 2-1 loss. It was the sort of outing that usually gives a team a chance to steal points early in the season, but the Kings still came away empty in their bid for their first win.
For Colorado fans, Kuempers name still carries a familiar weight because of what he helped deliver here, and his early days in Los Angeles have already become part of a rough start. Through two starts, he is 0-2 with a 5.11 goals-against average and a .825 save percentage, numbers that do not tell the whole story of his latest game but do underline the urgency around the Kings as they try to settle in. [Read more 🡒]