Kuemper heroics can’t save game for Avs at Columbus
The Avalanche wasted an excellent performance by goalie Darcy Kuemper and lost 4-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena. Colorado fell to 4-5-1 through 10 games, with a fourday break until its next game Thursday against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
Five takeaways:
Excellent effort in net. Kuemper faced 41 shots and made 38 saves. He was not the problem. The Avs took a 2-1 lead into the third period for the second consecutive game — both against Columbus — and allowed 16 shots in the final 20 minutes.
Kuemper allowed the game-tying goal to Alexandre Texier off an odd dump-in bounce in the corner with 6:23 remaining — with Texier out-skating defenseman Sam Girard to gain the puck and putting it off the far post and in — and the game-winner came off Cole Sillinger’s deflection that Kuemper didn’t see with just 1:02 to go.
Columbus added an empty-net goal to complete a 2-0 stretch against the Avs, who fell 5-4 in overtime to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday at Ball Arena.
“Darcy was our best player,” Avs winger Mikko Rantanen said postgame. “But he needs help from us. In the third, I felt we didn’t have our legs. We didn’t create a lot until they tied the game. A lot of gliding, not physical enough. Very disappointing. Not the way to win games in the NHL.”
Powerless. Colorado was 0for-4 on the power play, finishing 0-of-7 against the Blue Jackets in the two-game set, and is now 4for-39 (10.5%, ranked 29th in the 32-team league) on the season. The Avs are the preseason Stan wednesday’s ley Cup favorites and their power play should be highly productive. But their inability to capitalize on the man-advantage is a big reason why they’re below .500 through 10 games.
Burakovsky. Second-line left winger Andre Burakovsky had two goals, both at even-strength. But he was on the ice for Columbus’ first two goals and finished with a zero rating. Burakovsky only had two shots, and he made both count, but he’s certainly part of the problem as the Avs continue to turn pucks over and can’t find a cohesive two-way game.
Burakovsky made two nice plays to score goals. But he continues to be a liability with the puck when he’s not in scoring areas.
“We mismanaged pucks,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We didn’t execute on our exits.”
No excuses. The injuryplagued Avs were without six regulars in Wednesday’s OT loss but had three of them return on Saturday. Rantanen had missed three games with a lower-body injury but produced a team-high six shots. Burakovsky was back in the top-six after missing game. And defenseman Devon Toews made his season debut after off-season shoulder surgery and logged 21:08, second-most on the team behind partner Bo Byram (22:24).
Yet, the Avs were outshot for the sixth time in 10 games and stand three points outside a playoff spot.
Shots through traff ic. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski had a game-high 10 shots, and the Blue Jackets’ blueline combined for 14 — seven more than the entire Avalanche defensive corps. Colorado is missing top-pair defenseman Cale Makar and it shows. Byram and Toews are a solid first-pairing but they only produced one shot. Colorado’s inability to get more shots through traffic on goalie Elvis Merzlikins limited its secondchance opportunities.
Footnote. The Avs are expected to take Sunday off and practice on Monday at Family Sports Center.