LOS ANGELES — The Colorado Avalanche has lost three consecutive games for the first time this season.
That factual statement reads like the situation is a lot more foreboding than the current state of things. The Avs are not concerned. No warning sirens are going off.
With one Norris Trophy-sized caveat, the Avs just played three games and feel … OK with how it went, results aside.
“We picked up a couple points on the road,” Avs defenseman Jack Johnson said. “I think the last two games, especially the one (Saturday) night, we could have easily won that game. Over an 82-game season, you’re going to win some you shouldn’t and lose some you should win. We knew (Sunday) was going to be a big challenge for us with injuries and not a lot of time between games.
“Every team is going to face that. We faced it head on, but now we need to go home, get our rest and get ready for Tuesday.”
Losing in overtime on a fluky own goal, losing in a shootout and hanging around for 50 minutes in a game that looked like a “schedule loss” before the puck was dropped was not the desired result of this road trip. The Avs, given their hot start, have the luxury of not fretting about a lost point here or there.
They’ve been pretty focused on the process from the start, given the Stanley Cup-or-bust expectations. The reactions to losing three straight games were far less emotive than when the Avs got embarrassed by Vegas or St. Louis.
Avs coach Jared Bednar was asked if there was anything alarming about this three-game winless road trip.
“No.”
Simple and to the point.
“I think our guys were competing tonight,” Bednar said on Sunday. “It wasn’t perfect. We lacked energy, obviously, to get on the offensive side and create like we always do. … I thought our mindset was right. It was far from a perfect game, but under the circumstances, I thought we competed hard and tried to do the right things.”
The Avs knew they were going to be in a tough spot Sunday in Los Angeles. It’s part of why Bednar leaned on his top players so heavily with the game in the balance in Anaheim. There was an extra point to chase, and the chances of them beating one of the best teams in the league on short rest were much smaller.
Both goalies played well on this trip. The defensive structure was mostly sound. The things Bednar wants to see from his team, regardless of the results, were seen.
There’s one big concern, and that’s the health of star defenseman Cale Makar. He missed the end of the Anaheim game and did not play against Los Angeles because of a lower-body injury.
The Avs have dealt with absences for Artturi Lehkonen and Samuel Girard, both key players, but missing a difference-maker like Makar is tough for any club, regardless of the depth and talent.
Josh Manson moved up to the top pairing next to Devon Toews, and even scored his first goal of the year in his best Makar impersonation with a nifty shot as the trailer on a rush. If Makar can’t play Tuesday against the Ducks at Ball Arena or beyond, the Avs will need to lean on Manson, Bo Byram and depth guys Caleb Jones and Sam Malinski a little more than they have to this point.
“I think it’s shared among everybody,” Manson said. “I’ve played against top lines before. I think the offensive bit, it’s hard to replace Cale because he’s a special player. I think if we all contribute defensively, we’ll still be able to keep less goals going into our net.”
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