AVS FALL IN VEGAS IN FIRST GAME IN 12 DAYS
Colorado has trouble warming up after returning from long break due to COVID
The defense was outstanding Sunday. The offense, however, was understandably rusty. Playing for the first time in 12 days but still without a big chunk of its regulars, the Avalanche gave a valiant effort but failed to produce a goal on the scoreboard or a point in the standings at T-Mobile Arena.
The Avs, who were shut down on Feb. 4 because of COVID-19 protocol, fell 1-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights as the teams began a four-game stretch of games that includes Saturday’s outdoor game at Lake Tahoe.
“We had to dig in on the defensive side of it in order to give us a chance,” said Avs coach Jared Bednar, who saw his team outshoot the Knights 30-24. “I liked the way we worked tonight. I liked our mindset. We were trying to play a smart game and limit turnovers and earn everything they got.”
Vegas forward Max Pacioretty scored in the second period and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots as the Knights won for the second time in as many games.
The Avalanche (7-4-1) played without standout defenseman and ice-time leader Cale Makar — who was scratched with an upper-body injury — and six
other regulars.
Colorado had three practices since it resumed activities Thursday. Bednar said he is unsure if Makar was injured at practice or away from the rink.
“I just know that he’s out of the lineup today and he’s basically day-to-day now,” Bednar said pregame.
The Avs were already missing forwards Gabe Landeskog and Tyson Jost and defenseman Sam Girard, who are each in COVID quarantine, plus forward Matt Calvert, defenseman Erik Johnson, and goalie Pavel Francouz because of injuries.
“Tough to get our momentum going, our legs going,” Avs forward Brandon Saad said. “Seems like we had some chances but we were a lot of one-and-done (rushes). You take the positives and move forward.”
He added: “There’s no excuses. You’re going to have guys out of the lineup. You’re going to have different circumstances where we have a week to 10 days off … I thought we played pretty well tonight. Obviously, it’s not the result we wanted but we’re looking at the big picture here.”
The Avs did welcome back three players from the injured list into the lineup, including key forward Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews, who is Makar’s partner on the top pairing.
But the Avs weren’t as effective offensively coming off a long break. They produced 20 shots through two periods but didn’t get one past Fleury as Vegas took a 1-0 lead into the third period. The only goal came off the stick of Pacioretty, who beat goalie Philipp Grubauer with a wrist shot inside the near post. It was just the third time the Avs failed to score the first goal in 12 games.
“We were missing our legs a little bit. You could tell,” Bednar said. “We didn’t have the extra pop in our legs to create a few more chances. And the last little bit of execution. I think our minds were in the right place. I think we were trying to do the right things.”
The Avs and Knights (10-2-1) will also play Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena before the “series” moves to Lake Tahoe in what will count as a Colorado home game. Grubauer expects to see more offense from his teammates in the next two games.
“It wasn’t an ideal situation,” Grubauer said of playing for the first time in 12 days. “Obviously, a little bit rusty in certain areas with execution but it’s only going to get better from now on.”
Footnotes. Girard’s ironman streak of 231 consecutive regular-season games ended. It was the second-longest streak by an Avalanche defenseman behind Martin Skoula (285). … Toews, who had missed the last three games with an ankle/foot injury, logged a team-high 8:23 in the first period as Colorado was without three of its top-six defensemen. He finished with a season-high 25:56 to lead the team. Rookie defenseman Bo Byram, 19, logged a career-high 23:07 and led the Avs with five hits. He also blocked three shots. … Saad played in his 600th career NHL game and Valeri Nichushkin skated in his 300th.