The Colorado Avalanche have championship aspirations, so it seems unusual that they would find comfort in a home loss to Nashville. But Colorado has struggled with effort and consistency at the start of the season, and those issues were less pronounced in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators on Thursday night.
The Avalanche can build on that effort when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Colorado has dropped two straight following a three-game winning streak, but it was Tuesday’s 7-2 loss at Columbus that raised concerns within the organization. Head coach Jared Bednar said he would adjust his approach with the team, and he also adjusted the lineup against Nashville.
Bednar separated his top defensive pairing of Cale Makar and Devon Toews while keeping his forward lines intact. The adjustments didn’t produce a victory, but Colorado delivered a more consistent effort.
“It’s being committed to both sides of the puck,” Bednar said. “I think our guys understand it, and we’ve done it. We’ve just had a handful of games that we haven’t done it, those look really poorly on our team. So, we’ve got to fix it. Like, I don’t want to see one of those for a while.
“And if we play the right way, we’ll get the results we want most nights.”
The bright spots included veteran Jaden Schwartz scoring his fourth goal in five games to bring his total to seven for the season, and spectacular saves by Mackenzie Blackwood that earned Colorado a point.
Detroit is also facing adversity heading into Saturday night, but it has played well against elite teams, including wins over the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers and a close loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
“Playing against these high-end championship-type teams is really good for us right now,” head coach Todd McLellan said. “I’m upset we lost the game, but I thought we put a lot into that game, and we’re going to take some good out of it (Friday). We’re going to work and try and improve in the areas that we can, and we’ll fix the mistake we made at the end.”
The status of former captain Dylan Larkin, who is suspended without pay while trade options are explored, looms over the club. Larkin went public with his desire to be dealt, and his agent informed Detroit on Oct. 29 that Larkin no longer wanted to be a part of the organization.
The Red Wings won two of the first three games after the suspension but have lost two in a row heading into the matchup with the Avalanche, a once-fierce rival when Detroit was in the Western Conference. The Red Wings are in the midst of a 10-season playoff drought and have not advanced past the first round since 2013.
Detroit could have goaltender John Gibson back as early as Saturday. Gibson left Tuesday night’s road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury but practiced Friday. Defenseman Albert Johansson (undisclosed) is on Detroit’s four-game road trip. He has not played since Oct. 24.