For the second straight game, the Colorado Avalanche went beyond regulation. But also for the second straight game, they couldn’t pull out the win in overtime.

In their throwback jerseys, the Carolina Hurricanes would beat the Avs 5–4 in the shootout. Colorado drops its second shootout of the season on home ice, after losing earlier to the Dallas Stars.

This game was far from pretty for either side, and true 80s-style hockey, throwing it back to games of old between the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques. A topsy-turvy affair with 13 power plays and 79 shots (48–31 in favor of Colorado) combined led to some dramatic hockey on Thursday night. For the Avalanche, however, there’s a lot to learn and take away from this one.

Observations From the Mountaintop

For the second straight game, puck trouble found its way into Colorado’s game. In the first period in particular, they fell behind the eight-ball with turnovers from Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar leading to two of Carolina’s four regulation goals. They’ve been abnormally off after starting the season off so well when moving the puck.

Part of the issues with puck movement includes the power play, which continues to struggle badly. After scoring a goal on the man advantage in the first three games, they hadn’t scored since. In this game, they went 1–for–8. Valeri Nichushkin, who opened the scoring for the Avs, finally moved to the first unit in the third period in place of Brock Nelson and scored the lone power play goal to tie it up. Changes have to happen for Jared Bednar and Dave Hakstol’s man advantage to work and win them more games. A permanent change to have the big Russian on the first unit might be part of it.

For the first time all season, Scott Wedgewood looked human. He allowed four goals on 10 shots in the first 13:40, and the coach replaced him with Trent Miner. Miner’s first appearance of the season saw him make 21 saves, and compared to his counterpart across the ice, he was not as busy. With the Avalanche about to leave on a trip that involves a back-to-back, it begs the question of whether Mackenzie Blackwood will be healthy enough to play. Or will Wedgewood split the games with Miner, or perhaps one of them will play in both games?

In the end, the Avalanche played great and debuted their new look with style in this matchup. They ran into another hot goalie in Frederik Andersen. Ultimately, they have to finish their chances, particularly in regulation. This team could easily be undefeated at 8–0–0 if they simply found the twine. Speaking of the number eight, they still haven’t dropped a point in all eight games and sit at 13 points atop the Central Division. The Avs’ No. 88 Martin Necas has scored a point in every game with a goal tonight, and his season total comprises six goals and six assists.

Up Next

The Avalanche head out East for two quick road games, starting on Saturday afternoon against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is at 1:00 p.m. MT.