The Colorado Avalanche opened the season with a scoring burst that would usually leave a coach beaming. Eight goals, four power-play strikes, Nathan MacKinnon with two, Artturi Lehkonen with two, and Brock Nelson chipping in three points - it was the kind of night that shows just how loud this offense can get.
But Jared Bednar didn’t leave the 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings focused on the fireworks.
“The rush coverage? Woof.
It was rough. Guys just still a little bit in shinny mode, not enough talk, but all fixable.
All fixable.”
That was the blunt read from Colorado’s coach after a game that, on the surface, looked like a showcase. Instead, Bednar zeroed in on communication, defensive habits, and the transition game, saying there was still work to do in those areas.
The warning signs were there in how Los Angeles generated dangerous chances in transition, including both of its shorthanded goals coming off rush opportunities. Even with Colorado controlling much of the game, the Kings still found a way to score four times.
Still, there’s no reason to turn one game into a season-long verdict. The Avalanche had a short preseason, and for several players this was the first regular-season game in a new system alongside new teammates. Mistakes were always going to happen.
What matters is that Bednar is pointing to problems that sound fixable rather than structural. Colorado doesn’t need to reinvent itself.
It doesn’t need to become a defense-first team. It just needs cleaner communication, better positioning, and sharper play through the neutral zone.
That’s the encouraging part for the Avalanche. They finished last season with the NHL’s best regular-season record and added more talent over the offseason. This is not a team trying to figure out what it is.
It is a team that already knows its offense can punish anyone. MacKinnon, Lehkonen, Nelson, Cale Makar and the rest of the group made that clear right away. The question is whether the defense can settle in enough that Colorado doesn’t have to keep leaning on seven- and eight-goal nights just to make things comfortable.
The Avalanche can live with a messy September opener. They can’t afford to stay that messy by November.
If Bednar’s concerns fade with time, opening night will be remembered as a wild, entertaining start. If they don’t, that eight-goal performance may end up feeling less like a statement and more like a flashing red light.
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