After a two-week hiatus for the Four Nations Face-Off, the Colorado Avalanche returned to action against the Nashville Predators in what turned out to be a sluggish, low-scoring contest. Unlike the high-energy matchups happening elsewhere in the league, both teams showed signs of rust, leading to a more disjointed defensive effort.
Despite a stronger push as the game progressed, the Avalanche couldn’t find a way past Nashville’s goaltender, Juuse Saros, ultimately falling 2-1.
Slow Start, Unfortunate Bounces
Colorado struck first in the second period thanks to a powerful shot from Sam Malinski. However, their lead was short-lived, lasting just 30 seconds before former Avalanche first-round pick Justin Barron fired a shot from the point that made its way past Scott Wedgewood to tie things up.
Entering the third period deadlocked at one, the game remained open for either team to take control. The Avalanche limited Nashville to just two shots on goal in the final frame, but the first proved costly a fortunate bounce off the back boards set up Jonathan Marchessault for the go-ahead goal. Colorado fought hard to equalize but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities.
Rust Was Inevitable
Given the long layoff, it was clear that rust would be a major storyline—either the Avs would struggle to shake it off, or it would be surprising if they showed no signs of it. In reality, they started strong but failed to convert early chances and couldn’t finish late in the game.
Offensive struggles have plagued Colorado all season, and with Mikko Rantanen temporarily out, Artturi Lehkonen is leading the team in goal-scoring—an issue that highlights their lack of natural finishers. While Nathan MacKinnon’s playmaking has been a hot topic this season, he was aggressive in his shot selection in this game, recording eight of the top line’s 12 total shots on goal. However, Colorado’s depth scoring was lacking, as the rest of the forwards combined for just 11 shots, with three players accounting for nine of them.
It’s clear the Avalanche desperately need Val Nichushkin back in the lineup, but they also need a true goal-scorer. Relying on Lehkonen to carry that load isn’t sustainable, and with much of the roster being either pass-first or defense-first players, adding a pure finisher could be crucial before the trade deadline.
Strong Defensive Effort Comes Up Short
Although they were facing a struggling Nashville squad, Colorado’s defense put in a solid performance. In over 55 minutes of 5-on-5 play, they limited the Predators to just 16 shots on goal, 17 scoring chances, and six high-danger opportunities strong numbers overall.
Nashville managed only two shots on goal in the third period the first being Marchessault’s game-winner and the second coming in the final minute as they killed off a questionable four-minute power play.
While the Avalanche defense has been prone to costly mistakes this season, that wasn’t the case in this game. The goals they allowed came from a point shot and an unlucky bounce, not major defensive breakdowns. Still, losing despite such a strong defensive performance makes this result even more frustrating.
Sam Malinski Making an Impact
Malinski has had an up-and-down season, but he showed signs of turning a corner right before the break against Calgary, and he followed that up with another strong outing. Although the advanced stats weren’t entirely in his favor, he was active offensively and created opportunities with the puck something that has been missing from his game for much of the season.
If he can maintain this level of play, the Avalanche may only need to add one defenseman at the trade deadline instead of two. With Josh Manson sidelined again, Malinski’s development could be crucial, not just for this season but for the team’s long-term depth.
Colorado will need more contributions beyond MacKinnon and the top line to find consistent success, and this game reinforced their need for additional scoring depth.
