Colorado head coach Jared Bednar breaks down the season in 10-game increments, and the first of those was a mixed bag for the Avalanche. Colorado has dropped three of its last four and has just five wins in its first 10 games.
The second 10-game segment begins Friday night in Denver when the Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.
Colorado sputtered through a back-to-back set in Philadelphia and New Jersey this week, losing both games by a goal. The Avalanche have had a sick bug running through the locker room, which could explain some slow starts to games but it’s not acceptable to Bednar.
“We got to make sure we get a good start to the next (10-game segment) and regroup,” Bednar said. “It’s not horrible. There’s lessons to learn. As long as we’re learning them now and moving on and getting better, I’m fine with it.
“But I’m certainly not happy with the last two games. I don’t think anyone in (our locker room) is. Everyone knows that we can be a lot better than we were.”
It will help getting Logan O’Connor back for his season debut. The bottom-six forward and skilled penalty killer was on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recently has been away from the team following the sudden passing of his father.
Center Nicolas Roy, who hasn’t played since Oct. 13 due to a lower-body injury, will not play and Zachary L’Heureux (upper-body injury) will miss his sixth straight game.
Tampa Bay comes to Denver on a three-game winning streak and has won seven of its last eight since an opening-night loss at the New York Rangers. Nikita Kucherov, the reigning Hart Trophy winner, has three goals and two assists in the last two games.
His three points in a 6-2 win at Vegas on Tuesday night tied him with Steven Stamkos for the franchise record for points with 1,137. In 23 career regular-season games against Colorado, Kucherov has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists).
“It’s incredible to watch him,” defenseman John Carlson, who is in his first year with the Lightning, said of Kucherov. “Practice, game, playing against him or playing with him, he’s an X-factor out there wherever he is and just someone that everyone should look up to.”
Fellow defenseman Victor Hedman, who is in his 13th season playing alongside Kucherov, echoed Carlson’s praise.
“His work ethic, his dedication to the game and his dedication to perfection has always been there,” Hedman said. “I’ve seen him the past five, six years and the way he works and tries to improve. The way he sees the game is fun to watch.”
The teams, each perennial Stanley Cup contenders, split the season series last season, with each winning on home ice.
The Lightning could be without Anthony Cirelli on Friday night. The center scored twice in the win over the Golden Knights but didn’t play in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Tampa Bay has not provided an update on his status for Friday night.