If there has been a silver lining to the Avalanche's ongoing obstacle of first-period duds, it has been their almost equal propensity for improving throughout games. During the current 11-game stretch without a first-intermission lead, the Avs have also won on third-period comebacks for the first two times this season.
The opposite was true in the first game of 2023: Colorado struck 25 seconds into the game but wilted in the second period of a 3-2 home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night. The Avs were outshot 15-9 in the middle frame — allowing more than twice as many shots on goal as the previous frame — and gave up the two decisive goals, both to Nicolas Roy. They "got too comfy," as forward Alex Newhook described it.
"I'm sure there was some frustration, some anger in the second period, but we were doing it all to ourselves," coach Jared Bednar said. "We had so many unforced turnovers in the second period. Not doing the right things with the puck that it just ends in defending time. And then the D get frustrated because they're spending too much time in the D-zone. The forwards get frustrated because they're not getting any looks at the net."
The Avalanche (19-14-3) lost only five regulation games in January over the past three years, but they have begun this January with a fourth consecutive defeat out of the holiday break. This one ended with a long rugby scrum in Vegas' crease, players searching for the loose puck like a needle in a haystack with under 30 seconds left. A whistle finally sounded. A comeback fell agonizingly short.
"We just need to get healthy," center Nathan MacKinnon said. "Guys are battling, but it's tough."
Players said they aren't concerned about what the recent skid means, having been through them before. Bednar said: "We just have to be careful that we're not just confident because of what we've done in the past."
The Avs had an early chance to double their early lead, but a Mikko Rantanen shot dinged off the crossbar, and the puck was in Alexandar Georgiev's net exactly 10 seconds later for a Vegas 1-1 equalizer.
There were numerous other opportunities to widen the gap, or later to close it. But Colorado couldn't convert on five power plays, while the Golden Knights scored on a delayed penalty as goaltender Logan Thompson arrived at the bench for an extra skater.
The Avalanche went 4-for-34 on the power play during MacKinnon's 11-game absence (including the four opportunities after he exited in Philadelphia). But in two games since his return from an upper-body injury, the drought has continued with an 0-for-8 stretch.
MacKinnon did solve one problem: the slow starts. When he netted a wrister during his first shift, it turned out to be Colorado's only shot on goal in the first seven minutes.
Artturi Lehkonen had a golden backdoor chance with an empty net, but the puck skipped on him. Early in the third period, the puck crawled along Thompson's goal line but never across it before the Golden Knights cleared the danger. Bednar predicted the game would be a frustrating rewatch because of the Avs' sheer number of chances.
Then they finally got the break they needed, fittingly by about a centimeter. Lehkonen threw the puck toward the net front, and after taking a bounce it seemed to stick to the inside of the back post. Rantanen was the only home jersey in a crowd of players crashing the net, and his stick jammed the puck barely across. Officials didn't initially rule it a goal, but as MacKinnon urgently gestured that it was across video review was deployed.
The result revived the crowd of 18,092 with 8:52 remaining. Soon the Avalanche had another power play. Vegas cleared the zone as its last 10 seconds disappeared.
"We had a lot of good looks in the third. Really buzzing, which was a good sign," MacKinnon said. "There's no quit in our room, which is a good thing moving forward."
Darren Helm and Martin Kaut were back in the lineup, but as the Avs took two steps forward, they took one step back: Evan Rodrigues was scratched from the lineup with an upper-body injury after skating as usual Monday morning. And team captain Gabriel Landeskog, recovering from October knee surgery, is "nowhere close" to returning, Jared Bednar said.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith, left, loses control of the puck as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews covers while Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, right, defends the net in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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