For the eighth time this season, the Colorado Avalanche lost in OT, this time to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4–3 final on Monday night. Toronto keeps its hot streak going, moving itself back into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Avalanche continued their struggles in OT, and mistakes in regulation and overtime bit them. Their 17-game home win streak comes to a close in the middle of the season-long home stand, with opportunities to bounce back quickly coming up.

View From the Mountaintop

There were questions coming into this game about who would get the nod in the net. Those questions only grew louder when all three goalies were on the ice for morning skate. Eventually, Jared Bednar started Trent Miner for the second straight game. He was solid, stopping 27 shots while not able to do much on two of the Leafs’ goals. While he has the hot hand, he was still somewhat forced into playing tonight. Mackenzie Blackwood was still not ready to return to game action. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood is playing through an injury, but is still good enough to go if needed.

Toronto was pretty much toe-to-toe all night with the Avalanche. The second period, in particular, is where the visitors stood out. While only having two more shots than Colorado in the frame, they held onto the puck much longer with better chances in possession. Only a handful of times this season have the Avs been playing a step behind. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best hockey by a great hockey team, which ended up costing them in the end.

The stars for Colorado kept them in the game, but ultimately hurt them too. Martin Necas and Cale Makar each got two points, including Necas’ equalizer in the third. Brock Nelson also had a nice power-play goal. But he and the power play wasted a golden opportunity to win it in the final two minutes of regulation. Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon also recorded three assists, reaching 600 home points and 80 points in just 45 games. He becomes the first player ever to reach 80 points in the fewest games in franchise history. But he gave up the puck cheaply in OT, which led to the game-winning goal. It ended up being pretty sloppy, and the Avalanche cost themselves an extra point.

Up Next

Game four of the home stand comes after a nice break this week on Friday against the Nashville Predators. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT. Altitude Sports and KTVD will broadcast the game.