3 Takeaways From the Avalanche’s 6-3 Win Over the Lightning

It’s not often you can say it, but the Colorado Avalanche have been in a funk. Losing to the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers will do that to you, especially when you have been one of the best teams in the league for the last several seasons.

While it isn’t time to panic, it has been a head-scratcher of a situation. Hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning, there was the potential for things to continue to skid. But the Avalanche came right out and grabbed control of the game, cruising to a 6-3 win.

Top Dogg

Part of the reason the Avalanche struggled in their past two games is that their superstar wasn’t at his best. Nathan MacKinnon was pointless with a minus-4 rating over the last two, and the Avalanche lost both.

The last time they won – against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 16 – he had a goal and three assists. In the win last night, he once again had a goal and three assists, showing his ability to take over a game at will.

When MacKinnon is buzzing, there is maybe only one other player (Connor McDavid) who can match that kind of aggressive pace. He was dominant in 18:10 and it might be worth attempting to lighten his load a bit to maximize his effectiveness.

Transition Offense Is Lethal

One of the areas in which the Avalanche are lethal is in transition offense. The first goal is a fantastic example: MacKinnon and Martin Necas used their speed to set the table, and Devon Toews was wide open back door for the easy goal.

The third goal is another great example. Fedor Svechkov took the shot on a 2-on-1 and showed off his hand/eye coordination with a mid-air bat-in. When the Avalanche are buzzing, they are pushing the pace down the ice and making it impossible for the opposition to get comfortable.

It also helps that the power play looked a bit better, going 1-for-3. The unit has had its struggles, but getting one with the man advantage – from Nazem Kadri, no less – had to feel good.

A Solid Game From Blackwood

Though the goaltending situation has been a bit overblown (team defense has been spotty), it was nice to see Mackenzie Blackwood with a strong performance. He turned aside 31 of 34 Lightning shots, but it was better than that.

Both goals by Jake Guentzel saw him standing wide open with a gaping net. The first deflected off Brock Nelson directly to Guentzel. Those are just bad luck goals that you can’t really do much about.

Blackwood looked calm, collected, and in control from start to finish. He may never evolve into the Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender that so many envisioned, but he doesn’t have to be on this team. Games like this instill confidence not only in Blackwood but the rest of the team.

A Strong Rebound

Losing to the Flyers and Devils hurts if you feel like you’re a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Avalanche looked complacent in those games, and it could be said they played down to their level of competition. The Lightning are Cup contenders, and the Avalanche thoroughly handled them.

The Avalanche have a chance on Wednesday to avenge their loss to the Devils, with a game against the Nashville Predators sandwiched between. It is time for the Avalanche to start putting together some wins, gaining momentum, and re-establishing themselves as the cream of the crop in a very tough Central Division. With so many good teams, the margin for error is thin even for a team on the level of the Avalanche.