The Colorado Avalanche have lost two consecutive games at home, and the alarms are starting to sound off in Denver as the organization hadn’t dropped two games in a row on home-ice since January. After squandering a 2-0 lead against the Calgary Flames, NHL veteran Brock Nelson dropped a strong message for Nathan MacKinnon and the rest of the locker room to listen to.
Though the term “crisis” would be too extreme, it’s undeniable the Avs are going through a rough stretch during the 2024-25 NHL campaign, on the eve of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
MacKinnon kept his home point streak alive by assisting Cale Makar on a highlight-reel goal to open the scoring. With the assist, ‘Nate Dogg’ extended his streak to 25 consecutive home games with at least one point. The last time he was kept scoreless at Ball Arena was on December 1, during a 4-1 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers.
However, it wasn’t enough for the Avalanche to prevail over the Flames. Calgary is battling for its life, in hopes of snatching a playoff berth on the dying seconds of the regular season.
Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche plays the New York Rangers in the third period at Ball Arena on January 14, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
Following the 3-2 shootout loss, Nelson issued a bold reminder to MacKinnon and the Avs, as they dropped consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 22-23.
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“Can’t have that now, especially this time of year. Closing out games and winning games, that’s what it’s all about,” Avalanche veteran Brock Nelson stated, via NHL.com. “In the third, up two, in a good spot, we need to just turn it up a little bit more and kind of put them away. We’d been in control most of the game. So, we know we’re capable of closing out, too, with the way we can play. So, it’s just about energy, focus.”
Curious penalty shot takers
The Avalanche have a star-studded lineup, with almost every player being capable of burying their shootout attempts. However, the designated shooters against Calgary felt a bit odd. Neither MacKinnon, Makar, or Martin Necas took a shot on Flames’ Dan Vladar.
Brock Nelson, 11 of the Colorado Avalanche, celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal during the shootout against the Montreal Canadiens.
Instead, Ross Colton, Charlie Coyle, and Valeri Nichushkin were the penalty shot takers, with all three of them missing their attempts. According to DNVR Avalanche on X, Bednar explained his shootout lineup based on analytics.
However, fans aren’t so appreciative of big data, especially when it means MacKinnon and Makar are kept on the bench during the biggest moment of the game. Others believe it was Bednar’s way of letting MacKinnon and Necas know he wasn’t pleased with their performance.
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Take a point and move on
Though the fashion in which they lost stings, the Avalanche must take the point and focus on their next challenges. Up next, Colorado will travel to the heart of the Midwest, to take on the bottom-feeders, Chicago Blackhawks. April 2nd’s matchup will be a must-win game for the Avs as they face off against Bedard and the young, exciting, but still inexperienced Hawks.
