An extra-time loss in which they tied the game with a late tally will not ruffle the feathers of the Colorado Avalanche as they return to action on the road to face the Calgary Flames on Friday.
The Avalanche arrive in the Stampede City after suffering a 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, which snapped their six-game winning streak.
Even in a defeat, which came after they played at home the night before and finished a stretch of three games in four nights, the Avalanche could see plenty of positives.
Offensive production is not a concern for a team that scored 31 goals in its six-game winning spree, so a focus up to the end of the season is to work on the team defense, especially with the changes Colorado went through leading up to the trade deadline.
“The games are getting more and more important so the players are digging in more on the defensive side of things,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Everybody is tightening up their details and structure of their game. We did a nice job of suppressing chances (in Minnesota).”
That said, the Avalanche are capable of outscoring their problems and only getting better. Not only are their big guns firing lately, but the supporting cast is contributing on a regular basis. For example, Joel Kiviranta has scored in four consecutive games.
“He’s a good player on both sides of the puck,” Bednar said. “He’s learned the last couple of years that he has more ability than he showed earlier in his career and is willing to play and skate with the puck more. It’s the consistency I’m loving about him. I know what I can expect from him on a nightly basis.”
The Flames are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, a game in which they held a lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation time but couldn’t hold it.
“Just unfolded in the third period, I thought,” defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. “First two periods were solid. We were physical, in their face. Both teams were working hard. I thought we were the better team in the first two periods. Then for whatever reason, I thought in the third period, we kind of laid off the gas a bit.”
Calgary holds the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, but is tied with Vancouver in points, although the Flames have a game in hand.
Surrendering a lead against one of the clubs in the dogfight for the final playoff position was a huge disappointment, but the Flames have little time to wallow.
“When you don’t win a game, it’s always opportunity missed,” coach Ryan Huska said. “Lots was made of this game for sure, because it’s Vancouver and the positions we were both in, in the standings… We have 18 ‘must-wins,’ and that’s the way we’re going to continue to approach it.”
As they prepare to finish a three-game homestand, the Flames have some obstacles to overcome. Captain Mikael Backlund left in the first period of the Vancouver clash due to an upper-body injury, and forward Connor Zary received a two-game suspension for a hit to the head on forward Elias Pettersson.
All Huska would say about Backlund after Thursday’s practice was that he was being evaluated, and they would know more on Friday.
–Field Level Media
